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News Notes: Deluge Of Overtime Misclassification Claims Not Letting Up

There has been a surge of class action lawsuits filed by workers seeking huge damages for back overtime based on claims that they were improperly classified as managers exempt from overtime laws. Now, more than 600 low-level managers have sued Robinsons-May Inc., a retailer with 46 department stores in California. The workers contend that although […]

Job-bias charges rose nine percent in 2007

Each year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) publishes information about the number and type of discrimination charges employees have filed along with the amount of money it has recovered on their behalf. In fiscal year (FY) 2007, 82,792 private-sector discrimination charges were filed with the agency, and it recovered $345 million in monetary relief […]

PBGC Proposes Facilitating DC-to-Pension Plan Rollovers

As more 401(k) plan participants look for retirement savings options that resemble traditional pensions, the U.S. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. has proposed exempting  DC-to-DB rollovers from maximum guarantee and five-year phase-in limits. The agency in early April proposed regulations that would amend its rules on allocation of assets and benefits payable in terminated single-employer plans to clarify […]

Stimulus COBRA Subsidy: New Notices Every Employer Must Use

The new stimulus package, called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), provides COBRA subsidies for certain employees terminated or laid off between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. The subsidy reduces an employee’s COBRA premium by 65% for up to nine months, provided that the employee meets the eligibility requirements. Last […]

Continuous Learning Continues to Create Opportunities

According to a survey commissioned by Academic Partnerships (AP), human resources (HR) executives agree that advanced academic degrees are important for employees looking to advance in their companies. The advantages of advanced degrees include: Upward mobility (89%), Promotion (86%), and Increases in salary (71%). However, these executives report that only half of their employees hold […]

Employer Match May Matter Less Than Threshold, Study Finds

By Jane Meacham Many employers match a percentage of employees’ contributions to their retirement funds. But what impact does that match have? A new academic study found that participation and contributions in U.S. employer-sponsored retirement plans increase when a matching contribution is offered but that the match’s impact on savings is less significant than other […]

EEOC Releases New Guidance on Avoiding Religious Discrimination

Recently, Lynn Noyes, a permanent software developer at temp agency Kelly Services in Nevada City (near Sacramento) won a massive $6.5 million verdict when a jury found that Noyes’ manager failed to select Noyes for promotion because she lacked certain religious beliefs held by that manager. Evidence in the case showed that the manager also […]

Share Your Opinion with 155,000 of Your Closest Colleagues

Have you had a “eureka” moment lately? How about a penetrating insight into the HR profession? Or maybe just strong feelings about an issue of the day that you just can’t keep to yourself? Well, here’s your chance to share. Regular readers of this column know that it’s often written by BLR’s founder and CEO […]