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FMLA Changes: What You Need to Know—and Do

Yesterday we looked at some of the important changes in the new Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations, particularly revisions to the employer and employee notice requirements. Today we’ll look at some other important changes, and at a new audio conference that will get you ready for the January 16 effective date. Certification Among […]

Religious Discrimination: Ruling Examines Whether Seniority System Must Give Way To Accommodation Requests When Religious Attire And Dress Codes Clash

If an employee tells you that a religious belief prohibits them from working on certain times or days, you usually must try to accommodate the person unless it would be an undue hardship. But what if your workers’ schedules are set by a seniority system? Do you still have to make a special accommodation for […]

Court Reversal Allows Participants to Sue Fifth Third for Company Stock Drop

Plan sponsors that offer company stock in their retirement plan should watch carefully the results of a recent appellate court reversal that will allow participants in .’s defined contribution retirement plan to pursue an ERISA class action against the bank. They claim it endangered their savings by including company stock in their retirement plan shortly […]

EFCA Just a Shot Across the Bow? Mike Losey Weighs In

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Bob Brady picks the brain of longtime SHRM President Mike Losey on the implications of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). Cautious When EFCA was introduced in Congress several weeks ago, unions and their supporters hailed it as the middle class’s salvation, while employers condemned it as the […]

News Notes: Big Verdict Affirmed in Race-Bias Case

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a $3.1 million verdict, including a $2.6 million punitive damage award, for an executive who claimed he was discriminated against and fired because of his Chinese nationality and ethnicity. Wei Zhang, who before coming to the United States was a business and economics professor in China, was […]

Religion Bias: Big Verdict for Worker Fired over Head Scarf

A jury in Phoenix has awarded $287,640—including $250,000 in punitive damages—in a religious discrimination suit against Alamo Car Rental brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC charged Alamo with post-9/11 backlash discrimination on the basis of religion when it fired a Somali customer sales representative in December 2001 for refusing to […]

Company Officials Aren’t Plan Fiduciaries, Not Liable for Missed Contributions

A company owner and another manager are not fiduciaries as defined by ERISA and the contributions they failed to make to their employees’ pension plans were not plan assets, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. This decision supports the premise that individual company officials who serve only as conduits for employees’ payments to […]

6 Tips for Dealing with New HR Laws, Regs, and Court Decisions

As every year does, 2008 brings new laws, new regs, and new court decisions to deal with. Here are 6 tips for handling the changes, whatever they are … and an introduction to our new January 30 audio conference, 2008 Legislative Update. New year, new laws and regs! OK, take time to groan, but only […]