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News Notes: New Suits Challenge Overtime Classifications

Two lawsuits charge California employers with misclassifying workers as exempt from overtime requirements. In one case, Denny’s is accused of failing to pay overtime to 1,500 managers. The suit alleges Denny’s understaffed its restaurants, causing managers to spend more than half their time performing nonmanagerial tasks such as serving food. Denny’s says its compensation system […]

Obama Signs Equal Pay Legislation Into Law

President Barack Obama has signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law. The legislation makes it easier for workers to file pay-bias complaints under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law arose in response to a 2007 Supreme Court decision that said the deadline for workers to file a pay-bias […]

Federal Minimum Wage Increases on July 24

On July 24, 2009, the federal minimum wage will increase to $7.25 per hour. The increase is the result of a May 2007 amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which boosted the minimum wage in three steps. The first two steps — to $5.85 and then a year later to $6.55 — were […]

Wellness Programs Tackle Number 2 Killer

In yesterday’s Advisor, we learned how to knock out the largest source of deaths; today we’ll look at the #2 killer, cancer, and also the ADA issues that wellness programs raise. About a third of us get cancer and about 20 percent of us die of it, so in theory that makes cancer about half […]

OFCCP Issues New Directive on Gender Identity, Sex Discrimination

Another step in tightening the employment law obligations of federal contractors has begun with an Aug. 19 directive that protects individuals with claims of gender identity and transgender status from discrimination. The directive, from the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs under the U.S. Department of Labor, was spurred by an executive order issued by […]

Pregnancy laws: Do you know the unlawful practices regarding pregnant employees?

New California regulations and pregnancy laws broaden the types of conditions of pregnancy for which workplace accommodations will be required – even if they don’t involve a pregnancy-related disability. With these new regulations on the table, it’s crucial for you to amend your internal policies and practices to ensure compliance with California law.

Release of Medicare Claims Data Expected to Help Plan Sponsors

The feds’ decision to release Medicare claims data for quality measurement should help employers and individuals alike make more informed decisions down the road, advancing the goals of health care quality and value, a plan sponsor representative noted. Importantly, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) final rules apparently will allow the selected data […]

Managing Up–Get the Boss to Have Your Ideas

If you don’t get bosses to have your ideas, heaven forfend, they’ll come up with their own. And that spells disaster for both of you. Bill Oncken, late management training guru of Managing Management Time, used to say that managers need to get the boss to have the managers’ ideas. Face it, he said — […]