Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The Internal Revenue Service has released cost-of-living adjustments for contributions to employee retirement plans, including 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans, as well as profit-sharing, SIMPLE, and SEP plans. For information on the new limits, go to the IRS website. 10 Tips for Effective, Legal Performance Appraisals Don’t let your performance appraisals fall by the wayside. […]
U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) have introduced the Healthy Families Act, legislation that, if passed, would guarantee seven paid sick days per year to employees working at least 30 hours a week at companies with 15 or more workers. The sick days could be used for the employee’s own medical […]
It’s common to ask employees who accept early retirement to agree to waive future legal claims against you in exchange for higher pension payouts. But is it legal? Two years ago, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal ruled that Lockheed Corporation violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) when it did just that. The […]
Aug. 31 was the last day for Sacramento lawmakers to act on pending bills, and Gov. Davis now has until Sept. 20 to sign measures that made it to his desk.
In 2000, Sacramento lawmakers enacted SB 402, requiring counties and other local agencies to submit, under certain circumstances, to binding arbitration of economic issues that arise during negotiations with unions representing firefighters or law enforcement officers. Now the California Supreme Court has struck down the law, ruling that it interferes with state constitution provisions giving […]
When Tarlochan Sidhu was laid off by Fletco Co. following a workers’ comp leave, the union grieved his termination and sought arbitration as called for in the union contract. After Fletco refused to arbitrate on the grounds that the contract didn’t apply to the dispute, the union sued to enforce the CBA. Fletco asked the […]
Governor Davis has signed many new laws of interest to employers, ranging from creating a paid family leave program to implementing new layoff notice requirements; from new prohibitions against age discrimination to important changes to consumer report laws; from new restrictions on absence control policies to additional guidelines on responding to employee requests to view […]
By Khristine Scholtz The U.S. Labor Department, continuing its push for a narrow definition of outside salesmen, argued in a friend of the court brief that the outside-sales exemption is limited to employees who make their own sales. At issue is whether pharmaceutical sales representatives must be paid for working overtime hours, or are exempt […]
As of Jan. 1, 2003, the new hourly rate that you must pay certain computer software professionals in order for them to qualify for overtime exemption will be $43.58. And the new hourly rate for exempt licensed physicians and surgeons paid on an hourly basis will be $56.21. The California Department of Industrial Relations adjusts […]
Terminating an employee is one of the most unpleasant tasks an employer faces. And the fact that you also need to keep track of a complicated set of legal concerns only adds to the stress. Most employers are acutely aware that if you make a mistake, you could be facing an expensive employee lawsuit.