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Ruling supports firing pot smokers despite Colorado law
The Colorado Court of Appeals has upheld an employee’s firing for off-duty marijuana use, despite medical and recreational use of the drug being allowed under state law. A quadriplegic employee who used marijuana under the state’s medical marijuana amendment filed a lawsuit after he tested positive for drugs in violation of company policy and was […]
Administration Loosens Individual Mandate to ‘Un-cancel’ Policies
The Obama administration on Nov. 14 proposed an administrative fix to allow individuals and small businesses losing coverage to keep their plans for another year. The fix was necessary in part because many people who lost coverage: (1) could not enroll for coverage on reform-mandated state-based health insurance exchanges due to problems with the government’s […]
PBGC Selects Firms for Smaller Asset Manager Pilot Program
The federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) has selected five investment management firms to participate in its pilot program for Smaller Asset Managers.
Are College Alums Displacing High School Grads in the Workforce?
One-third of hiring managers and HR professionals said they are hiring more employees with college degrees for positions that were historically held by high school graduates, according to a recent CareerBuilder® survey. This hiring trend varies across industries: Financial Services—53 percent Healthcare—40 percent Manufacturing—38 percent Transportation & Utilities—37 percent Information Technology—33 percent Professional & Business […]
Productivity Is Not a ‘Social Media’ Issue
Some managers want the productivity losses from social media activity at work to be a tricky “social media” issue, but it’s not, says attorney Molly DiBianca. “It’s a simple management issue, just like somebody taking too many cigarette breaks. The supervisor or manager has to enforce rules and impose discipline if necessary.” DiBianca, who is […]
House Passes Health Care Reform Repeal Legislation
On Wednesday, January 19, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act (H.R. 2), a largely symbolic bill that would repeal the health care reform legislation enacted last year, in a 245-189 vote. The new legislation, backed unanimously by House Republicans, would repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care […]
Bulletin Item: Ruling On Deductions From Employee Bonuses Stands
Earlier we reported on a California appeal court ruling challenging Ralph’s Grocery Co.’s practice of subtracting certain expenses—including the store’s workers’ compensation costs and cash and merchandise shortages—when calculating employee profit-based bonuses. Now the California Supreme Court has declined to review the appeal court ruling holding that the grocer’s practice violated various Labor Code and […]
New Congress Moving on Minimum Wage Increase
News Notes: Continued Steady Decline In Union Membership
Recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) figures reveal the number of workers who belong to labor unions has continued its steady 20-year decline. In 2003, just 12.9 percent of U.S. workers belonged to a labor union, down from 13.3 percent a year earlier. For private sector workers, union membership fell from 8.6 percent to […]