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Effective May 1, 2010, smoking will be prohibited in most Michigan workplaces, restaurants, and bars. The law, known as the “Dr. Ron Davis Law,” was signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm on December 18, 2009, and bans smoking indoors in Michigan “public places.” Under the law, “public places” are defined to include most places of employment, […]
The federal Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service have announced that they’re tracking down delinquent filers of Form 5500, which is required to be filed annually for benefit plans. And in December 2002, the agencies plan to begin sending out letters of inquiry to delinquent filers. Penalties for late filing can be steep, […]
The IRS has decreased the mileage rate commonly used to reimburse employees for business use of a car from 36.5 cents to 36 cents per mile. The new rate—which applies to miles driven beginning January 1, 2003—was prompted primarily by the decrease in gasoline prices.
Retaliation suits are the one type of EEOC suit that is increasing, and Attorney Judith A. Moldover says HR managers have an “incredible role” in sparing their organizations the expense those suits invariably bring—even if you “win” them. Retaliation claims are very fact related, says Moldover, and that makes it especially important that someone with […]
The U.S. Department of Labor on April 14 previewed proposed changes to the 40-year-old definition of “fiduciary” that the agency says will increase consumer protection for those seeking advice on retirement investments and 401(k) rollovers. The long-awaited changes will include a new contract for broker-dealers to sign that pledges they will “formally commit to their […]
Many employers are now making the unhappy discovery that their finance and operations people made aggressive exempt-status and other wage and hour-related determinations that are coming back to haunt their organizations in the form of big wage and hour lawsuits and payouts. Attorney Kurt A. Franklin of the San Francisco office of Hanson Bridgett, LLP, […]
The following is a list of the bestselling paperback business books as ranked by the New York Times on February 7. 1. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. How and why certain products and ideas become fads. 2. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of […]
During collective bargaining negotiations with Hawaiian Airlines, pilot Robert Konop created a password-protected website containing statements critical of his employer and union. Konop sued Hawaiian after learning that a co-worker, who had been authorized to access the website, shared his password with Hawaiian’s vice president, who in turn shared information from the website with an […]
Both chambers of Congress have approved an economic stimulus package that includes a COBRA subsidy for laid-off workers and other HR-related provisions. President Barack Obama signed the legislation into law today.