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Harassment: San Jose Newspaper Settles Same-Sex Harassment Suit

The San Jose Mercury News has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a same-sex harassment lawsuit. The lawsuit grew out of a charge filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by Mark Newton, a mailroom employee who claimed he was subjected to ongoing sexual harassment by a male supervisor. The alleged harassment included inappropriate sexual […]

Caregiver Hearing Postponed Due to Death of Rep. Donald Payne

The House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections postponed its hearing on controversial regulations extending minimum wage and overtime protections to home health aides, scheduled for March 7, due to the death of Representative Donald M. Payne, D-N.J., a senior member of the panel.

News Notes: OSHA Recommends Workplace Precautions Against West Nile Virus

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released a bulletin providing information on workplace precautions against West Nile virus, an illness transmitted primarily by mosquitoes. This year, hundreds of cases of the virus have been reported in 33 states. And while the virus had so far bypassed California, as we went to press a […]

Super Lessons from the Super Bowl

As I sat and watched my Green Bay Packers hold on for a victory in Sunday night’s Super Bowl, I was reminded how athletic competition provides great lessons for life and business. Whether it’s an individual sport like golf or a team sport such as football, athletics provides countless opportunities to learn life’s lessons. It […]

401(k)s, Free Food, Pet Insurance—What Benefits Are Best Employers Offering?

Health Care gets the bulk of the benefits attention these days, but what’s happening with other benefits, and what are your competitors offering? Sabbaticals? Free Food? PTO? Flex? Let’s find out what’s happening in the real world. For years, BLR has surveyed HR, compensation, and benefits professionals to find trends in benefits. We appreciate your […]

Looking to 2012—Good News and Bad News on the HR Front

Get ready now for an aggressive NLRB; meanwhile, get your ADA house in order, say panelists at BLR’s Advanced Employment Issues Symposium (AEIS) in Nashville. Good news? It’s not too late to act. Under proposed NLRB rule changes, employers will have less of a chance to make their cases for staying union free, says Al […]

Construction association sues to stop OFCCP’s new affirmative action rule

On November 19, 2013, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), a national association for the construction industry, filed a request for an injunction in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to stop the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) final rule affecting federal government contractors, including construction contractors. […]

Maryland Legislature passes bill to raise minimum wage to $10.10 by July 1, 2018

by David M. Stevens On the final day of its legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill to dramatically raise the state’s minimum wage. The bill, which was supported by Governor Martin O’Malley and is expected to be signed into law, calls for a staggered increase in the minimum wage over a period […]

Supreme Court Expands ERISA Remedies

In a case that could have far-reaching consequences for employers and employees alike, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday, February 20, 2008, that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) allows an employee to sue his employer because of a fiduciary breach that resulted in individual losses to his 401(k) plan. James LaRue says […]