Most Popular

DOL Releases Official Proposal to Raise Federal Contractor Minimum Wage to $10.10

U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez released a proposed rule to raise the minimum wage for federal contractor employees on new contracts to $10.10 on June 12. President Obama directed the U.S. Department of Labor to issue the rule in February. The rule provides guidance and sets standards for employers for contractor employees, and it […]

Higher PBGC Premiums Make DB Plans More Apt to Borrow

Defined benefit plan sponsors have gained a new incentive to fully fund their pension plans – even if that requires borrowing, according to a recent research report. The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act enacted in mid-2012 raised U.S. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. premiums for plan sponsors maintaining an underfunded DB plan, […]

Family and Medical Leave: New Ruling Strengthens Your Right to Terminate Employees Who Abuse Family Leave

Suppose an employee is on family and medical leave to care for an ill family member, but you discover they’re also using the time for their own recreation. Can you discipline or terminate the worker for misusing the leave? We’ll look at a new Cali- fornia appeals court ruling that gives you latitude to handle […]

Connecticut Releases Guidance on State’s Paid Sick Leave Law

by Jonathan C. Sterling Earlier this year, Connecticut became the first state to enact a law that requires employers to provide paid sick leave for employees. The law takes effect January 1, and the Connecticut Department of Labor recently published guidance on its website to assist employers in complying with the new law. Read the […]

IRS Standard Mileage Rates Drop a Half-cent

Employers whose employees use their own vehicles business can now adjust their reimbursement forms and procedures for 2014, since the IRS released the standard mileage rates for the year in Notice 2013-80 on Dec. 6. The IRS also adjusted the reimbursement rate for miles driven for medical purposes or a relocation, also by half a […]

News Flash: Jury Awards Nestle Manager Over $5 Million In Age Bias Case

A jury in Los Angeles awarded $5.16 million to a former financial manager for Nestle who claimed the company denied him promotions that went to junior employees. The manager was in his mid-40s. He complained to the human resources department and a senior executive but never got a satisfactory response about whether his age was […]

Benefits 2009 HR Hero Survey

Each January, HR Hero asks its readers about the benefits their company plans to offer in the new year. With the changes in the economy and employers looking for ways to cut expenses, will they be reducing benefits or passing more of the cost of them on to employee? Take the survey and we’ll report […]

Hot List: BusinessWeek’s Best Seller List

BusinessWeek magazine ranks the 15 best selling hardcover and paperback business books based on a survey of over 1,000 booksellers that carry a broad selection of books on economics, management, sales and marketing, small business, investing, finance, and career. This is the BusinessWeek bestseller list for November 2009. 1. SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and […]

Oregon Court Says No to Medical Marijuana in the Workplace

by Calvin Keith, Perkins Coie For over 10 years, Oregon employers have been waiting for an answer to the question of whether they must accommodate a disabled worker’s use of medical marijuana. The Oregon Supreme Court’s April 14 decision in Emerald Steel Fabricators, Inc. v. Bureau of Labor and Industries answers that question with a […]