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Health Care Reform and Workers’ Compensation

by Donald M. Harrison Will health care reform affect workers’ comp? Even though the term “workers’ compensation” isn’t mentioned in the bill, I anticipate both direct and indirect effects on workers’ comp. Most of the consequences are unknown at this time and may not be known for several years, but two direct results are already […]

Employers Can Help Improve Retirement Readiness

Plan participants’ shortfalls and worries about retirement preparedness can provide an opportunity for plan sponsors to fill the void with participant education, tools and financial advisory services. Less than half of Americans are taking basic steps to prepare for retirement, and their confidence about how much they need to put away to be financially comfortable […]

Senate vote deals blow to $10.10 minimum wage effort

The campaign to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour fell a step backward in a Senate vote on April 30—a vote that brought cheers from business interests concerned that the increase would be too onerous on employers and jeers from labor groups that claim the current $7.25 minimum is inadequate. Sixty votes […]

Why Are Women Paid Less? Our Readers Talk Back

HRDA readers respond to our CEO’s suggestion that the gender pay gap isn’t  decreasing faster because women simply often don’t know how to ask for more. A few Fridays ago, our CEO, Bob Brady, ignited a bit of a firestorm in this space with his column on why … and to what degree … women […]

Nonunionized Employers Need to Pay Attention to NLRB (Video)

The days when only unionized employers needed to worry about the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) are over, said attorney Charlie Plumb during his presentation at the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium (AEIS) in Nashville. Employers should be concerned about two big changes happening in the NLRB and with labor unions that Plumb believes will become […]

Employing Developmentally Disabled Can Be a Win-Win

Individuals with serious disabilities encounter many difficulties when attempting to enter the workforce. They may have physical or mental deficiencies that make it difficult, if not impossible, to become competitively employed. There are, however, incentives and exceptions to normal workplace rules that “even the playing field” for employees and employers alike. Undoubtedly, many employers think […]

Health Care Reform Provisions Employers Need to Worry About

Have you been pulling your hair out for the past several months trying to determine what health care reform means for your organization? This article will provide you with a good starting point by outlining many of the major provisions of the health care reform package (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the […]

California Pregnancy Regulations Revised

The state Fair Employment and Housing Commission has just announced the approval of changes to the state’s pregnancy regulations. The changes go into effect on December 30, 2012. They make significant changes to the existing law, including:

Political Talk Heats Up the Workplace

As the race for the White House sees the Republican and Democratic candidates heading to their national conventions, political tension is making its way from the campaign trail into the office. According to a new CareerBuilder survey, three in 10 employers (30%) and nearly one in five employees (17%) have argued with a coworker over […]

News Notes: Opt-Out Arbitration Clause Saves Lopsided Agreement

The federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently tossed out a mandatory arbitration agreement signed by a Circuit City employee because it was unduly lopsided in the employer’s favor (see CEA March 2002). But in another case involving identical arbitration provisions, the court has ruled that employee Mohammad Sharfuddin Ahmed was required to arbitrate his […]