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Maine: Red Tide Causes ‘Sea Change’

by Daniel C. Stockford, Brann & Isaacson While voters handily reelected both of Maine’s Democratic representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives, a sea change occurred at the state level as the Maine governorship and the Maine Legislature apparently have switched from Democratic to Republican control. In a surprisingly close governor’s race, Republican Paul LePage […]

Pay Differences Not Related to Race or Gender? Prove It

There’s a compensation heat wave, says Susan Willmott, SPHR, and the only way to avoid it is with a compensation structure that’s carefully worked out based on job content and value to the company. In yesterday’s Advisor, we learned about writing job descriptions that provide information about job value; now with job descriptions done, here’s […]

Flex Arrangements—Outmoded Laws Are the Chokehold

Flexible Workplace Arrangements (FWAs) are more and more attractive and much easier to manage with today’s technologies, says attorney David Fortney, but the laws that govern them were passed long before the technologies existed, and that can make management difficult. Fortney is a co-founder of law firm Fortney & Scott, LLC in Washington, DC, and […]

Supreme Court Asks Feds to Weigh In on Pregnancy Accommodation

The U.S. Supreme Court has asked the federal government to provide an opinion on whether the Pregnancy Discrimination Act requires employers to accommodate pregnant employees. The Court received a petition to hear Young v. United Parcel Service, Inc., a case from earlier this year in which the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that […]

Driving Matters: Cell Phone Laws in Effect Soon

Starting July 1, it will be illegal in California to drive while using a cell phone, unless the phone is equipped with a hands-free device. Also as of July 1, teens under age 18 can’t drive while using a cell phone—even using a hands-free device. Teens also can’t drive while using any other mobile service […]

New human rights regime now in force in Ontario

by Brian Smeenk On June 30, 2008, new human rights legislation in Ontario came into force. The new regime radically changes the way in which human rights complaints are dealt with in Ontario. Employers, employees, and unions are watching closely to see how well the new system works. 1. Complainants given direct access to tribunal […]

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March Madness ‘Office Pool’ for Laid-Off Workers Lets Them Join in Fun

While laid-off workers really miss their paychecks and benefits, downsized employees are down about something else this time of year—missing the March Madness office pool.. However, outplacement solutions provider RiseSmart® is busy collecting brackets of participants in its second “RiseSmart Challenge,” an alternative program that serves as a fun way to help unemployed workers take […]

First Circuit Serves Up Employer-Friendly Ruling; FLSA Admin. Exemption Does Not Cater to Banquet Employees

Banquet sales managers do qualify for the administrative exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act — meaning no overtime is on the menu. So says the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Hines v. State Room, Inc. Plaintiffs in the case are former employees of banquet facilities that “host high-end wedding receptions and other […]

March: Women’s History Month

On March 8, 1857, women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. In 1981, 124 years after that historic protest, Congress established National Women’s History Week to be commemorated the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Here are some facts about American women from […]