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DOL Nixes Salary Deductions When Exempt Worker Damages Equipment

If an exempt employee damages or loses company-issued equipment, and you decide to dock the person’s salary to pay for the loss, you risk the employee’s exempt status. That’s the conclusion of a new opinion letter from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The opinion was requested by an employer that issues cell phones and […]

2009 Pay Increase Survey: Results

Following a drop of more than 2,000 points in the Dow Jones Industrial Average in early October, we surveyed our readers to find out whether employers were revising their pay increases planned for 2009. Between October 24 and October 29, we received 518 responses. Below are the results of the survey. (Read the full story […]

EEOC to Pay Big for Frivolous Pregnancy Bias Suit

A federal judge in Los Angeles has ordered the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to pay a hefty $1,022,653 in attorney’s fees and expenses to a Pasadena law firm that the EEOC unsuccessfully sued last year for pregnancy bias and sexual harassment. In issuing the order, the judge stated that the EEOC’s lawsuit “was unreasonable, […]

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DOL Tip Pool Regs Can Stand, Split Appellate Court Says

By Kate McGovern Tornone, Editor The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) limits on tip pools are valid, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals—which covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington—reaffirmed September 6, denying a request for it to reconsider its opinion on the issue.

Google Points the Way to Productive Meetings

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Everyone says they hate meetings—yet they are a staple of 21st century business ritual. If we can’t meet in person, we do them on the phone or, increasingly, through such nifty gadgetry as GoToMeeting or Webex. Today, BLR’s founder and CEO Bob Brady shares what he’s learned from […]

News Flash: Workers’ Comp Covers Employee’s Cosmetic Surgery

A California Court of Appeal has ruled that a mechanic whose face was disfigured in a workplace explosion can have cosmetic surgery covered by workers’ compensation. The mechanic suffered severe burns when a welding torch ignited a fireball inside the fiber glass tank he was dismantling. The state Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board had determined that […]

110-Year-Old’s VA Pension Increases

By Kyle Emshwiller A 110-year-old woman had been receiving a $36 monthly pension for her husband’s military service. Her husband, a WWI veteran, had died in the 1970s. The woman’s son told NBC News that he applied for a higher veteran survivor benefit amount in 2008. Earlier this year, with the help of a state […]

Employment Law Tip: Get Ready to Post Cal-OSHA 300A Form

Beginning February 1 and through April 30, 2006, you’re required to post the Cal-OSHA Form 300A annual summary log of injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2005. Even if you had no recordable injuries or illnesses in 2005, you must still post a summary with zeros in the total line. This posting requirement applies to […]