Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has announced that workers’ compensation insurers in the state have filed rate reductions averaging 14.6 percent for policies incepting on or after July 1, 2005. These latest cuts bring the cumulative rate reduction to 26.78 percent since the massive workers’ compensation reforms of 2003 and 2004.
A few months back, the Internal Revenue Service issued a ruling permitting employers to amend their flexible spending plans (health and dependent care) to give employees a two and a half month grace period following the close of the plan year to use up funds deposited in a flexible spending account during the plan year. The […]
On Jan. 1, 2005, the California Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act (DPRRA) went into effect, giving registered domestic partners the same rights, duties, benefits, and responsibilities that spouses enjoy under California law. Now, the California Supreme Court, in its first ruling under the DPRRA, has said that the law creates broad responsibilities for businesses […]
The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration has published tips for workers and employers to keep in mind during heat waves. The new materials include an advisory for employers that explains the duty to take steps necessary to prevent heat-related illness, plus fact sheets for workers to help them recognize and respond to symptoms of […]
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that National Guard and reserve service members can now file military leave complaints–under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)–using a new electronic filing service. This new service is the latest in a series of compliance tools developed by the DOL to help educate employers and employees […]
We reported on the new Cal-OSHA initiative to educate employers and employees on how to prevent heat-related illness. Employers and employees should also take the time to understand how to prevent another sun hazard that’s a problem year-round: too much exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays.
When Specialty Restaurants Corp. (SRC) hired Alberto Pinero as general manager of Luminarias in Monterey Park, Pinero had an age bias lawsuit pending against his former employer that he didn’t tell SRC about. When SRC’s chief executive learned about the suit, he tried to persuade Pinero to drop it on the grounds that it was […]
The California labor commissioner has withdrawn an existing opinion letter regarding employer-mandated use of vacation and other paid time off (PTO) for exempt employees, as well as the use of vacation or PTO for partial-day absences. We’ll explain what the commissioner’s action means and how it will affect your workplace.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has published final regulations that implement changes to some teen worker employment rules. Effective Feb. 15, the rules expand protections for minors working in certain industries and performing certain tasks. Note that California’s child labor rules generally incorporate the federal regulations.
President Bush has signed the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004 and the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, both of which make important tax changes employers need to keep in mind.