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Readers Talk Back: Healthcare Collapse Column Makes Boomers’ Blood Boil

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady My February 1 e-pinion declared that while we’d all like to make universal health care an entitlement, it’s just not going to happen as aging Baby Boomers threaten to collapse the system. Serious compromise will be called for. Well, that column generated many interesting responses. Here’s a sampling: […]

EEOC’s Proposed ADA Regulations Now Available

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) — which would revise its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations to comply with the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) — is now available at www.HRhero.com/eeoc/eeoc_proposedregulations.pdf. The NPRM interprets the requirements of the ADAAA, which Congress passed in late 2008 to make it easier for […]

News Bulletin: Employment-Related Cases Before State High Court

Cases coming before justices during the 2004-2005 term that could affect your workplace include Smith v. City of Jackson, which raises the question of whether the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act recognizes disparate impact age bias claims, as opposed to claims of intentional age bias; and Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Banks, which questions […]

Employment Lawsuits: State High Court Deals Employers a Blow Regarding Arbitration of Overtime Claims; Practical Impact

Although employers have received some welcome rulings from the California Supreme Court over the past few months, a new high court decision squelches a tool some employers had used to prevent class action lawsuits in the wage and hour context. We’ll explain the court’s reasoning and what it means for you.

News Notes: Study Reveals Why Many Small Employers Don’t Offer Health Insurance

Some common misconceptions keep small employers from offering health benefits to their employees, according to a recent study by the UCLA/UC Berkeley Health Insurance Policy Program. The study revealed that 38 percent of California employers with 10 to 50 employees don’t offer coverage. The reasons why include these erroneous perceptions: it’s too expensive; it doesn’t […]

Domestic Partners: New Legislation Expands Workplace Rights, Benefits; Review Your Employee Handbook

Two new bills extending the rights and benefits provided to spouses to domestic partners were recently signed into law. We’ll take a look at the new laws. State Contractors Can’t Discriminate Under AB 17, certain state contractors have to provide employee benefits for registered domestic partners on the same basis as they do for spouses. […]

Survey Shows What Employers Are Doing to Reduce Health Care Costs

By Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR Managing Editor, HR Daily Advisor Just My E-pinion Big surprise—health care costs are going up. In our recent survey, 56% reported annual costs per employee in the $5,000-10,000 range (compared to 47% in last year’s survey), and 18% reported costs of over $10,000 per year (compared to 12 % in […]

News Bulletin: DOL’s New 5500 Forms Are Available

Pension and welfare benefit plans are generally required to file a yearly return report, which can usually be completed by using the 5500 form that is updated each year. This is an important compliance and research tool for the DOL, and part of ERISA reporting and disclosure rules. For the 2004 form and more information, […]