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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, President Lyndon B. Johnson was authorized by Congress to declare National Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968. In 1988, Congress expanded the celebration, and September 15 was chosen as the beginning of the monthlong event because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced on December 1 that it will appeal a court’s injunction temporarily halting its new overtime regulations. A federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas blocked the rules on November 22, calling the regulations “unlawful” and noting that the changes in the rules […]
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) passed but left many implementation details unclarified, says Michael P. Aitken. Significant regulatory process will continue for years, he says. What is clear is that HR managers will be dealing with PPACA issues all the way along. Use this article as a checklist or reminder of all […]
Last year, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, ruled that employees cannot expect privacy when using workplace computers if their employer has an electronic monitoring policy in place. But now, the Ninth Circuit has revisited that ruling—this time finding that the employee indeed had an expectation of privacy for the computer […]
In a very positive development for employers, the U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed the massive class action lawsuit against Wal-Mart. The lawsuit claimed that the organization systematically paid women less and did not provide equal opportunity for advancement.
An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa is causing concern in the United States, as the medical community and various organizations watch to see if the outbreak will be contained, or will spread globally. Although this situation is occurring thousands of miles away, it is a good reminder for businesses in the United […]
What a difference a couple of years makes. Not so long ago, a flurry of states passed legislation or ballot initiatives to increase their minimum wage rates. As recently as 2009, there were minimum wage increases in 24 states. Since then, it appears that changes in the political climate and in the economy have completely […]
A new Department of Labor study reveals that employers are generally less positive about the Family and Medical Leave Act than their employees. Although a majority of employers reported that the FMLA is easy to administer, the figure dropped sharply from 85% in 1995 to 63% in 2000. More employers in 2000 than in 1995 […]
Governor Schwarzenegger has vetoed A.B. 48, which would have boosted the minimum wage for California workers to $7.75 an hour by July 2007. In a veto message, the governor stated that he supports an increase in the minimum wage–which hasn’t been boosted since 2002–but that he isn’t in favor of legislation, like A.B. 48, that […]
Cell phones, BlackBerry®, PDAs, iPod® devices, personal laptops, and flash memory sticks—they’re in your workplace, perhaps by the dozens, but are they posing more dangers than you know? Our experts sort it out. Especially now that gift-giving season has come and gone, you are probably seeing them in your workplace … gadgets! Everything from iPods […]