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News Flash: Sexual Harassment

Vanessa Bailey, a gardener at Balboa Park in Encino, complained that she was sexually harassed by her co-workers. Bailey claimed, among other things, that while she was in a city truck, a co-worker exposed himself to her and another had magazines showing naked women. Bailey also said that a park supervisor kissed her against her […]

Supreme Court to Rule on Whether Health Reform Stands or Falls

Fast on the heels of the latest pertinent appeals court ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court definitively announced on Nov. 14 it will decide the question of whether Congress exceeded its powers to regulate commerce when it required people to buy health insurance as part of health reform (or in the converse, whether the individual mandate is allowed […]

Bulletin: Industrial Welfare Commission Falls Victim to Budget Cuts

The California Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) is no longer in operation. State budget cutbacks eliminated the IWC, which determined wages, hours, and working conditions of employees in various occupations, trades, and industries. The agency also published wage orders. However, employers are still required to post the appropriate wage order in their workplace, and the Division […]

Wage and Hour: Small Businesses Reeling from Minimum Wage Hike

According to a new survey, nearly 70 percent of small businesses say that they might have to raise their prices because of costs associated with the recent increase in the federal minimum wage, and 60 percent of small business owners predict they won’t be able to offset the cost of the wage increase.

News Notes: New Overtime Rules Coming January 1: Are You Ready?

As of January 1, 1998, most private-sector, non-union employees will be entitled to overtime only after 40 hours in a week rather than eight hours in a day. The industries affected are manufacturing; public housekeeping; professional, technical and clerical; mercantile; and transportation. If you’re covered, you need to be prepared. First, if you haven’t yet […]

Week in Review, March 4, 2011

Note to Readers: This newsletter appears daily, but we know some of you don’t always have the time to read it everyday. For your convenience, here’s a re-publication of what we covered this past week. Daily, weekly, or anything in between, we’re pleased to keep you informed with the latest tips, news, and advice on […]

Employee Lawsuits: The Latest Legal Risk When A Disabled Employee Wants To Return To Work; How To Avoid Getting Sued

It’s important to be extra careful when evaluating the abilities of an employee who was previously injured and wants to come back to work. Unless you carefully consider the individual’s current skills and recent medical reports, deciding that the worker can’t perform certain tasks can expose you to an expensive discrimination lawsuit for erroneously regarding […]

Short Takes: Harassment Training for Temps

I have a question about sexual harassment training. We have 35 full-time regular employees and usually about 40 or 50 temporaries. The temps work for months at a time, but we release them during slow periods. I think the law says you have to provide harassment training if you have 50 or more employees. Do we […]

Employee or self-employed? That is the question!

By Alexandra Meunier and Yves Turgeon In the financial services industry, the status of insurance and financial product sales reps is often in question. Are they employees or independent contractors? No matter what part of Canada you’re in, it is important to get it right.

News Notes: Historic Ergonomics Regulations Stalled

California’s new workplace ergonomics rules won’t take effect until they are rewritten to make them easier to understand. The California Office of Administrative Law, which must approve all new state regulations, has just rejected the rules and asked for clarification of several different sections. The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board expects to have […]