News Bulletin: New Employment Bills Await Governor’s Decision
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto a number of measures approved recently by the legislature, including several relating to employment. Some of the contenders:
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New York Employers Must Turn in Notice of Wage Payment Forms by Wednesday
A reminder for New York employers: If you haven’t already completed the Notice of Wage Payment forms required under the New York Wage Theft Prevention Act (WTPA), time is running out. The law, which took effect on April 9, 2011, requires covered employers to give written notice of wage rates to all new hires at […]
New Jersey vote puts minimum wage hikes in state constitution
by Tammy Binford The ballot question making changes to New Jersey’s minimum wage was presented to voters in the November 5 election and passed easily, but many business leaders are uneasy about the change. By a 60-40 percent vote, voters passed Public Question 2, which will raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.25 […]
Family and Medical Leave: Accompanying Ill Spouse to Funeral Doesn’t Qualify for Protected Leave, Court Rules
Arnulfo Gradilla worked as a sheet metal assembler at Riverside County-based Ruskin Manufacturing. When his father-in-law died, he received permission to take two or three days off work to accompany his invalid wife to the funeral in Mexico. Gradilla’s wife had a serious heart condition that was exacerbated by stress.
Small Tip Pool Violation Creates Big Headache for Employer
A recent U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) settlement serves as a reminder for employers with tipped employees: you cannot require workers to share tips with nontipped staff. Doing so can leave an employer liable not only for the misappropriated tips, but also—because of a provision in the law—for back minimum wage and overtime payments that […]
EFCA: The Saga Continues, As Does the Misinformation
Through the first part of the summer, there were no major developments regarding the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). Essentially, both sides were maintaining the same positions. There have been, of course, occasional releases of “studies” and proposals by ostensibly neutral parties, but those volleys were the political equivalent of random shots exchanged by military […]
Employment Law Tip: Keeping the Focus During the Holidays
According to the results of a new poll by Accountemps, most employees get distracted and are less productive during the holiday season. The poll included responses from HR, finance, and marketing executives at the country’s 1,000 largest companies. Forty-four percent of executives polled said their employees are less productive the week before a major holiday, […]
Recognition: The Secret to Retaining Top Employees
How much does employee turnover cost American business each year? According to the DOL, about $5 trillion, says Mike Byam, author of The WOW! Workplace. Fortunately, he adds, effective recognition strategies can help keep turnover at bay. Byam, who is managing partner at the employee recognition firm The Terryberry Company, offers eight keys to successful […]
Delaware: Tea Party Push Energizes Democrats
by William W. Bowser, Young Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor, LLP Delaware voters soundly rejected the candidacy of Christine (“I am not a witch”) O’Donnell. Indeed, her campaign clearly energized the state’s democratic base, sweeping into office her opponent Chris Coons and Democratic candidates all the way down the ticket. This “blue wave” also enabled former […]
National Origin Discrimination and English-Only Rules
By Troy D. Thompson In fiscal year (FY) 2009, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received 11,134 charges involving claims of national origin discrimination ― an approximate 57 percent increase since 1999. Although the EEOC has not yet disclosed its statistics for FY 2010, all indications are that these claims continue to rise. Given that […]