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Revised workplace ergonomics rules may be adopted as early as the April 17, 1997 meeting of the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. We reported in February that California’s ergonomics rules had to be scrapped and rewritten to be less confusing. The reworded regulations have now been prepared. They aim to clarify these main […]
The Obama administration is working to keep its minimum wage hike proposal in the public eye, and simultaneously appears to be pushing back against critics who charge that raising the minimum wage would not help working families. On Feb. 28, the U.S. Department of Labor released a report detailing the demographic characteristics of minimum wage […]
Based on recent case law, when it comes to social media, human resources (HR) professionals need to be mindful of the scope of their policies, as well as the context of employee comments on that platform, according to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). On Jan. 24, NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon released his […]
Qualifying longevity annuity contracts in 401(k) plans could significantly increase the retirement readiness of younger workers with longer life expectancies, the Employee Benefit Research Institute reported recently. Modeling two scenarios involving the recently approved QLACs, EBRI found that, while the general population might experience a “small reduction” in retirement readiness by purchasing a QLAC with […]
Congress has moved with surprising speed in passing legislation to expand the situations in which an employee may take military caregiver leave and qualifying exigency leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The “Supporting Military Families Act of 2009” was only introduced in the House and Senate in late July. Now it has […]
This morning the Department of Labor (DOL) hosted its final two agency agenda web chat sessions, beginning with an hour-long segment hosted by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Deputy Administrator Nancy Leppink fielded questions and provided insight toward the Division’s current regulatory initiatives. The agenda priorities for the Division in the Spring agenda include […]
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) recently upheld the district court’s decision to dismiss a complaint by three Muslim prison workers who were prohibited from wearing headwear at work. Facts Three female employees at GEO Group, Inc., a private company that was contracted to run the George W. […]
by Mark Schickman Look around your workplace, and you will see baby boomers who are rethinking their retirement plans. They have had their anniversary date in 2010 circled on their calendars for a decade, they have bought their retirement condo, and they have calculated the rate of investment return that allows their retirement fund to […]
In its most recent National Behavioral Health Barometer report, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) highlights many important trends in behavioral health across the nation. Results from the report suggest the behavioral health of the United States is improving. The Barometer reports no change in the level of adults seeking treatment for serious mental illness, which […]
Because of serious medical mistakes at 10 California hospitals, eight patients died, an adolescent lost vision, and a tenth patient sustained severe bleeding from the nose due to medical errors, according to the California Department of Public Health.