Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By a vote of 315 to 116, the U.S. House of Representatives has voted to approve legislation that would boost the federal minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour in three steps over a period of 26 months. The measure now moves to the Senate for consideration. Under the legislation, the federal […]
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 lawsuit filed by 94 temporary employees of Sacramento County who sought retroactive benefits was resolved under a $1.4 million settlement. The workers claimed the county illegally classified them as temporary employees, thereby denying them benefits. They said that under the county charter, temporary workers may be employed for only 30 days, whereas many of […]
The threat of individual lawsuits is growing, and HR managers are right in the thick of it. Here are tactics for avoiding such suits … and an antilawsuit tool you should be using regularly. Yesterday’s Advisor reported on a troubling increase in plaintiffs in employment law cases filing suit against individual managers as well as […]
Three transit companies based in Pomona have agreed to pay a combined $100,000 to settle a race and sex harassment lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC’s lawsuit charged that a group of black female employees of Diversified Paratransit Inc., Paul’s Yellow Cab, and Inland Express were subjected to a hostile […]
I understand that under California law, I have to allow current and former employees access to their personnel files and records that relate to the employee’s performance or to any grievance concerning the employee “at reasonable times and intervals.” But some of our employees are making a lot of requests. So what does “at reasonable […]
The California Supreme Court has handed down an important new decision, answering a wage and hour question that recently has plagued the state’s appeals courts: Is the required payment of “one additional hour of pay at the employee’s regular rate of compensation” for each day that an employer fails to provide mandatory meal or rest […]
Following on the heels of new benefit and notice requirements for health plans offering maternity coverage, a new federal law mandates that any plans that cover mastectomies must also cover breast reconstruction and prostheses. Employees have to be notified about these benefits at the beginning of this year. Check with your health benefits provider for […]