Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By Gwen Cofield Governmental employers and the benefit plans they sponsor are generally exempt from the Employee Retirement Income Security Act’s (ERISA) Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) provisions but are still required to offer COBRA coverage to qualified beneficiaries under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA).
In just a few days, the East Coast was struck by an earthquake and Hurricane Irene. As one colleague put it: What’s next, a swarm of locusts? Hopefully, all that is next for businesses adversely impacted by these events is cleaning-up and recovering so that normal operations can resume as quickly as possible. Companies should […]
Child labor is highly regulated as to hours, age, and type of work, by both the federal and state governments. Let this book program and audio conference help keep you in compliance … and out of court. Yesterday’s Daily Advisor reported the onset of the annual teen summer job hunt … thousands of youngsters seeking […]
A multi-year investigation by the United States Department of Labor into violations of wage and hour laws by New Jersey gas stations has found “consistent and widespread noncompliance,” according to agency officials. The investment action recovered more than $1 million in back wages for 295 workers. In an agency statement, DOL Secretary Hilda L. Solis […]
The pharmaceutical industry made its case to the U.S. Supreme Court April 16 that pharmaceutical sales representatives (PSRs) are “outside salesmen” under the Fair Labor Standards Act and thus are exempt from the FLSA’s overtime requirements. A lot is at stake in the Court’s upcoming decision, since requiring overtime pay for PSRs could impose billions […]
California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has announced that workers’ compensation insurers in the state have filed rate reductions averaging 14.6 percent for policies incepting on or after July 1, 2005. These latest cuts bring the cumulative rate reduction to 26.78 percent since the massive workers’ compensation reforms of 2003 and 2004.
As large numbers of veterans return from Iraq and Afghanistan, employers must remember that their disability accommodation responsibilities have increased in recent months, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in releasing new guidance Tuesday. The commission updated its Veterans and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): A Guide for Employers which explains how protections for […]
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals about 30 minutes ago issued a ruling that forcing Americans to purchase health insurance, a key element of the 2010 health reform law, is unconstitutional. The court however allowed the rest of the law stand (including preventive care, dependent care and preexisting condition mandates), overturning the lower court on […]
When this “CEO” says something, you can believe it! Citing the world’s poor economy, this administrator says he is out to cut expenses, and he is starting at the home office. Yes, numerous media report that newly elected Pope Francis has instructed that there be no bonuses given to staff to honor his election. Instead […]
This week, President Barack Obama brought together Harry, Louise, and all the other major players in U.S. health care to begin focusing heavily on what can be done to reduce health care costs. So what can employers expect from the proposals and potential legislation? Check out the new free HR Hero White Paper, Health Care […]