Most Popular

News Notes: Social Security Administration To Pay $7.75 Million In Bias Case

The Social Security Administration has agreed to pay $7.75 million to settle a lawsuit by 2,200 male African-American current and former employees who claimed they were denied promotions and pay because of their race and sex. The lawsuit charged that African-American men were kept in low-grade jobs and were more likely to be disciplined than […]

Criminal Histories: What Not to Ask

Knowing what questions to ask applicants is key to finding the right people for your company. But it’s just as important to know what questions not to ask to avoid potential lawsuits. For example, asking job applicants about personal information like marital status, sexual orientation, and pregnancies can be one of the quickest routes to […]

Wage and Hour: California’s Minimum Wage Going Up to $8.00

On Monday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and California legislators agreed to elevate the state’s minimum wage to $8.00 per hour from the current $6.75 per hour. The increase will take effect in two stages: minimum wage earners will get a 75 cent/hour boost on Jan. 1, 2007, to $7.50, and then another 50 cent/hour raise on […]

Should You Be Offering Benefits to Domestic Partners? Let’s Find Out

By Stephen D. Bruce, PHREditor, HR Daily Advisor For years, BLR has surveyed comp and benefits professionals to find trends in benefits. We appreciate your participation in our monthly series of brief, targeted benefits surveys. Today’s survey topic: Domestic Partner Benefits. (We’ll publish the results in a future issue.) The rise in acceptance of domestic […]

News Bulletin: Flurry of Post-9/11 Bias Lawsuits

The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed several new lawsuits arising out of post-9/11 backlash in the workplace. In one case, the agency has sued Alamo Rental Car on behalf of a Muslim employee who was denied a workplace accommodation to wear a headscarf during the holy month of Ramadan in December 2001. Another […]

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 […]

Individual Mandate Repeal May Result in Millions Fewer Insured but No Major Premium Hike, RAND finds

Repealing the individual mandate would result in 12 million fewer adults with health insurance in 2014, but would bump up premiums for coverage only by 2.4 percent, researchers at the RAND Corporation say. No Death Spiral … Health insurance premiums would only be 2.4 percent higher than they would be with an individual mandate and […]