Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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 […]
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, […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced the latest in its series of e-laws Advisors. The new Advisor assists federal contractors and subcontractors in understanding basic coverage and compliance information for several laws that the DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs enforces. You can access the new Advisor on the DOL website.
Proposed revisions to Family and Medical Leave Act regulations will not be issued until March 2005, according to the latest regulatory agenda from the Department of Labor. Originally, the Bush administration announced it planned to unveil the revisions in January 2003. The changes to the 1993 leave law have lagged as the DOL repeatedly extended […]
In a new ruling, the California Supreme Court has affirmed employers are automatically liable for sexual harassment committed by supervisors, but damages for an employee who doesn’t take reasonable steps to avoid or report supervisor harassment can be reduced. We’ll examine the new case and suggest smart employment practices that can help you limit damages—and […]
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld an employer’s refusal to rehire a former employee who violated the company’s drug use policies. This means employers may continue to use neutral policies, but an employee can still prove the employer intentionally discriminated against them and is just using the policy as a pretext to hide wrongdoing. We’ll […]
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced two sizable overtime settlements with Southern California employers. VCI Telecom Inc., an Upland telecommunications company, has agreed to pay $1,074,375 to settle charges levied by the DOL for not paying overtime to 227 employees. And flooring and tile company Lambard Inc., based in Ontario, will fork over $228,156 […]
The California Supreme Court has decided that its landmark ruling in 2000 that required mandatory arbitration agreements to contain certain fairness protections for employees isn’t just limited to discrimination and harassment claims. We’ll explain the court’s new opinion.
For the first time in over 25 years, the U.S. Department of Labor has issued proposed rules overhauling the system for determining which employees are exempt from overtime under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The proposed rules change the types of job duties workers must perform to qualify for exemption from overtime as well […]
A group of 88 grocery workers will share $248,000 in back wages under a settlement announced between the U.S. Department of Labor and Mi Pueblo Markets in San Jose. The settlement arose out of an investigation by the DOL revealing that Mi Pueblo failed to pay some workers premium rates for overtime hours. What’s more, […]