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Holidays 2009 Survey Results
Each year, HR Hero Line surveys its readers about what days they will be off at the holidays and in the coming year. Most of you will have a paid holiday later this month on both Thanksgiving Day and the day after, while about 36% of you will get off on Thanksgiving Day only. Christmas […]
Bulletin: San Francisco minimum wage goes up
As of Jan. 1, 2008, employees who work in San Francisco (including temporary and part-time workers) must be paid at least $9.36 per hour (up from $9.14). Visit the SFGov.org website to access the required minimum wage poster. Remember that the state’s minimum wage jumps to $8.00 per hour on the first of the year. […]
Undocumented Workers Covered by Workers’ Comp System, Court Says
Undocumented workers who are injured on the job are entitled to seek workers’ compensation benefits, a California Court of Appeals has ruled.
News Notes: Latest Developments In Ergonomics
The debate over a national ergonomics standard continues. The Bush administration is currently reviewing the new ergonomics rules, and at least 31 lawsuits have been filed challenging them. Plus, the question of whether there is scientific support for the standard is still open. A long-awaited study by the National Academy of Sciences concluded that some […]
Employment-Related Cases on the Supreme Court’s Docket This Term
As the first Monday in October rolled around last week, the U.S. Supreme Court was back on the bench, with new chief justice John G. Roberts.
Workers’ Compensation: Governor Signs Reform Package, Employers to Soon See Savings
Gov. Davis has signed landmark legislation to reform California’s troubled workers’ compensation system and put a lid on the upward spiral in workers’ comp costs faced by California employers. And now, after having pored over the numbers, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) has recommended that the 12 percent pure premium rate increase scheduled […]
Supreme Court Defers Illegal Worker Racketeering Case
The U.S. Supreme Court has deferred ruling on a closely watched lawsuit that poses the question of whether an employer can be sued under the federal racketeering and organized crime law for recruiting illegal immigrants with the purpose of suppressing salaries for legal workers.
News Notes: Help On New Health Insurance Laws Available
Several federal laws affecting employee health benefits were added last year, including the Health Insurance Portability Act, the Mental Health Parity Act and the Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act. To help clear the confusion about these complex regulations, the U.S. Department of Labor has issued a booklet that answers some of the most common […]
Workers’ Compensation: Commissioner Recommends 9.3 Percent Rate Drop
California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has recommended a 9.5 percent cut for workers’ compensation insurance pure premium rates for policies incepting on or after Jan. 1, 2007. The recommendation far exceeds the 6.3 percent cut recently recommended by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB).