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Gary Ross was offered a job as a lead systems administrator for RagingWire Telecommunications in Sacramento. In connection with taking a mandatory pre-employment drug test, Ross gave the company a copy of his medical prescription for marijuana, which he used to alleviate pain from an old back injury. Ross also told RagingWire that he wouldn’t […]
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that two Maryland food processing plants will pay a total of $1 million to settle a sexual harassment suit on behalf of 22 female workers, all Central American immigrants. Male managers and co-workers allegedly groped the women and demanded sexual favors, and one woman was locked in a […]
A plan to streamline and strengthen enforcement of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA), has been signed by U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and Attorney General John Ashcroft. The document delegates the Department of Labor’s USERRA responsibilities to the Veterans’ Employment Solicitor, and the Attorney General’s USERRA responsibilities to the […]
On July 24, 2007, the federal minimum wage will rise to $5.85 per hour, with further increases in the next two years that will take the rate to $7.25 per hour.
Same-sex marriage is not legal in Rhode Island, but employers there must make provision for employees’ same-sex spouses nonetheless. Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) on May 14 signed an executive order announcing that Rhode Island will recognize the validity of same-sex marriages entered into in states where it is legal. The executive order went into effect […]
A recent proposal made by President Bush would grant temporary legal status to those undocumented immigrants who are already working in the United States if an employer vouches for them. Legal status would be granted for a maximum of six years. Workers who do not qualify for green cards by the end of the period […]
Many employers get sued for failing to properly administer compensable time — including the requirement that generally, employers must pay employees for time spent in training programs, meetings or similar activities. So to avoid costly litigation or enforcement challenges, an employer needs to understand — and correctly apply —the Fair Labor Standards Act’s basic criteria […]
In a development that highlights the expensive consequences of misclassifying employees as exempt from overtime, San Francisco-based Pacific Bell has reportedly promised to pay out huge damages-$27.8 million-to settle a class action lawsuit involving claims for unpaid overtime. The case involved 600 current and former sales support managers who were classified as exempt from overtime. […]
According to a new survey from human resource consulting firm Hewitt Associates, most companies don’t offer holiday bonuses. Out of 432 employers surveyed, 67% won’t offer any type of bonus for the holidays this year–this includes cash, food or other types of gifts. Since 1999, the percentage of employers not offering bonuses has hovered between […]