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News Notes: Failure To Grant Part-Time Status Doesn’t Support Wrongful Termination Claim

  Charles Sinatra, a long-time assistant principal with the Chico Unified School District, sued for wrongful termination in violation of public policy when the district refused his request for transfer to a part-time administrative position, instead giving him a full-time teaching assignment. He claimed he was “forced” to quit for exercising his statutory right under […]

Wildfires Tax Local Fire Departments, Raise Wage and Hour Challenges

Higher than normal temperatures and dry conditions have fueled significant numbers of fires this wildfire season, particularly in the Western United States. Wage and hour issues may be far from the first concern for state and local agencies and communities preparing for, or dealing with, wildfires, but it behooves savvy municipalities to think about possible […]

E-Alert Item: Employer Must Pay Attorneys’ Fees In Bias Lawsuit, Even Though Settlement Offer More Generous Than Jury Award

Willie Greene sued his employer Dillingham Construction N.A. Inc. for racial harassment under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. A jury awarded Greene $490,000 in emotional distress damages, and the trial court ordered Dillingham Construction to pay an additional $1,025,794 in attorneys’ fees. The company appealed the fee award, arguing that it shouldn’t have […]

News Notes: Undocumented Workers Encouraged To File Complaints

Under a new policy, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which oversees government contractors, will no longer inspect I-9 forms when visiting a worksite to follow up on worker complaints about labor violations. The policy shift is an attempt to encourage undocumented employees to file such complaints without […]

Workers’ Comp: Another Rate Cut on the Way

California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has announced he will likely recommend a further workers’ compensation insurance pure premium rate cut of at least 6.3 percent—which would bring the cumulative rate decreases to 58 percent since workers’ comp reform measures were implemented back in 2003.

OFCCP Finalizes “E-Cruiting” Rule

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), which enforces antidiscrimination and affirmative action requirements for federal contractors, has issued a final rule defining who qualifies as an “Internet Applicant” for purposes of employer recordkeeping. The OFCCP’s new rule is designed to clear the confusion surrounding how to determine who’s an applicant, in light of […]

Disclosure Rules Reveal Boom In Executive Perks

The first year of employer disclosures made under the new U.S. Securities Exchange Commission disclosure rules for executive compensation reveals an approximate threefold increase in the value of executive perks. Under the new rules, employers must disclose perks totaling $10,000 or more; previously, the disclosure threshold was $50,000. This causes concern for executives as many […]