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Bulletin Item: A Massive Overtime Class Verdict Reduced
In Bell v. Farmers Insurance, an appellate court threw out part of the verdict awarding employees more than $1 million allegedly owed for unpaid double-time compensation. The court, however, let stand the jury’s unanimous verdict for unpaid time-and-a-half overtime compensation totaling nearly $88.8 million.
News Notes: Federal Contractor Enters Half-Million-Dollar Settlement Of Gender Bias Claims
Monrovia Nursery in Visalia, which sells plants and plant materials to federal agencies, has agreed to pay out more than $511,000 to 240 women who alleged that the company’s hiring practices discriminated against qualified female applicants. The settlement grew out of a compliance review by the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
DOL Proposes First Major Changes to Youth Labor Regulations in Three Decades
News Notes: Health Care Privacy Rules Strengthened
New rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act will limit access to medical records maintained by health care providers, health plan insurers and other health care clearing houses. Under the new rules, a patient’s written consent is required for routine disclosure or use of health information for any purpose other than treatment and […]
News Notes: Age-Bias Cases On The Rise
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, age discrimination charges are the fastest growing type of bias case. From 1999 to 2001, the number of age complaints filed with the agency increased 23.5%. The EEOC points out that age charges—most of which involve employment termination—typically spike in a poor economy as layoffs increase.
News Notes: Employers Paying More For Absenteeism, Survey Says
A new absenteeism survey by Commerce Clearing House Inc. indicates that absenteeism costs climbed to an all-time high in 2002—even though absenteeism itself dropped slightly. Employers spent an annual average of $789 per employee for unscheduled days off, up from $755 in 2001. While workers listed illness as the most common reason for calling in […]
News Notes: Employee Stripped Of $2 Million Verdict For Industrial Injury
After Daniel Huffman, a sales manager in Pomona for Interstate Brands Co. (IBC), was demoted, he sued for age bias and emotional distress arising from a knee injury incurred in the new job, which required him to perform heavy physical work. A trial court awarded him $2 million for emotional distress from the knee […]
News Notes: Court Says Employer Can’t Charge Independent Contractors For Workers’ Comp Coverag
Although the workers’ compensation system is designed to provide protection for injured employees, employers can obtain workers’ comp coverage for independent contractors under certain circumstances. Now a California appeal court has ruled that providing them with coverage will subject both the employer and the contractor to other workers’ comp law provisions—including the prohibition on […]
News Flash: Details Of Tax-Free Transportation Plans Debated
At a hearing in Washington, D.C., earlier this month, the Internal Revenue Service heard opposing arguments on permitting employers to provide tax-free public transit benefits through cash reimbursement rather than vouchers or passes. As we’ve reported, proposed IRS rules would make it easier for employers to set up transportation spending accounts, which let you pay […]