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News Notes: Public Employers Can Require Workers To Use Accumulated Comp Time

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal has ruled that public employers may insist that employees use some of their accumulated compensatory time off when they’ve reached a limit on how much can be banked. The Spokane Valley firefighters’ union contract caps accrued comp time at 144 hours and requires overtime pay once the limit is […]

E-Alerts: Disability Bias: California State Standard for Determining Who’s Disabled Is More Lenient Than the ADA, States Supreme Court Confirms

The California Supreme Court has handed down a new decision making it easier for disabled workers in California to sue their employers for job discrimination. The court ruled that under the state Fair Employment and Housing Act, an individual claiming workplace disability discrimination need only show that their disorder limits a major life activity. In […]

Highest minimum wage in nation likely for Washington, D.C.

The final vote hasn’t come yet, but on December 3, the D.C. Council unanimously voted to raise the minimum wage in Washington, D.C., to $11.50 per hour by 2016, well above the $7.25 federal minimum wage. Before the measure is finalized, the council must hold a final vote and send it to Mayor Vincent C. […]

Minimum wage going up in 10 states

The 2013 minimum hourly wage is set to go up in 10 states. Arizona. The rate goes from $7.65 to $7.80. The state’s minimum wage is adjusted annually based on a cost-of-living formula. Colorado. The rate is going from $7.64 an hour to $7.78 based on an annual cost-of-living adjustment. Florida. The rate goes from […]

Responding to This Week’s Job Loss Announcements

The HR Hero Line you are seeing today isn’t exactly what we had planned. But by noon on what is now being called “Bloody Monday,” we knew we needed to address the fallout from so many job cut announcements, which were then followed on Tuesday by possibly the worst unemployment report from the U.S. Bureau […]

Key Changes of 2010—Are You Up to Speed?

From nursing mothers to ‘in loco’ parents, it’s been quite a year in HR, says attorney Stephen R. Woods. Today, his tips on some of the biggest changes of the year and what to do about them. Woods is a shareholder in the Greenville, South Carolina office of law firm Ogletree Deakins, Nash, Smoak & […]

Does Your Wellness Program Need a Checkup?

A majority of Americans agree that lifestyle choices such as smoking and exercising directly affect the cost of their health care, yet 44 percent do not think they should have to pay for health care. What gives? A recent survey revealed that employees do see a connection between their behavior and their health, and they […]

Bulletin: Government revises Form I-9

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a new Form I-9, which you can access at www.uscis.gov. Five documents, which employees previously could have submitted for proof of identity and employment eligibility, were removed from List A because they lack sufficient features to help deter counterfeiting, tampering, and fraud. Employers can no longer accept […]