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The Industrial Welfare Commission has eliminated certain exemptions from minimum wage requirements while retaining others. The changes take effect Jan. 1, 2001, as does the new minimum wage of $6.25 per hour. The IWC did away with existing exemptions for state and local government employees, full-time carnival ride operators, actors, personal attendants in private homes, […]
According to the New York Times, President Barack Obama has reportedly decided to renominate Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Last summer, the President nominated Becker, Mark Pearce, and Brian Hayes to the U.S. Senate to be members of the NLRB. In December, Becker’s nomination was returned to the White House for […]
In the December 2006 issue of the California Employer Advisor, we reported on a new ruling in which a California appeals court ruled that placing a video surveillance camera in an employees’ office, without notice, could amount to an invasion of privacy. This was true even though no actual viewing or recording of the employees […]
Reporting by Kyle Emshwiller and Jessica Webb-Ayer The wait is over: The U.S. Supreme Court has decided that the massive healthcare reform law (also known as the Affordable Care Act, or ACA) enacted in March 2010 is constitutional. So what happened, and what does this mean for employers? The wait is over: The U.S. Supreme […]
Liberty Mutual’s claims adjusters investigated and estimated claims, made coverage determinations, negotiated settlements, and identified potential fraud. The claims adjusters sued the insurer for back overtime pay, claiming they were misclassified as exempt administrative employees. A California appeals court has now ruled in the employees’ favor, finding that they didn’t qualify for the administrative overtime […]
The California Department of Veterans’ Affairs escaped liability for harassment one of its registered nurses endured from a resident of the veterans’ home where she worked. Although this is a victory for employers, the state Assembly is considering legislation that would hold employers liable when clients or customers harass employees. We’ll keep you posted as […]
After increasing hammering from conservatives, the White House looks like it is ready to compromise on health reform’s contraception mandate. The administration had included contraceptives and sterilization in its list of preventive services all (except the few grandfathered) plans must cover starting plan years in August 2012. It had offered a year-long delay to religious […]
In the first of three cases the U.S. Supreme Court is considering this term that involve the Americans with Disabilities Act, the high court has issued a ruling that will make it harder for workers to prove they are entitled to reasonable accommodation under federal disabilities law. However, as we’ll explain, the new decision, which […]
Starting July 31, 2013, the IRS will start collecting, and employers will start paying, a new excise tax authorized by the health reform law. This annual fee will be imposed on most insured and self-insured group health plans for the next seven years. The feds have amended the April 2013 IRS Form 720 (Quarterly Federal […]
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, recently issued a pair of opinions highlighting disability discrimination issues that employers often stumble over in the hiring process.