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Many employers don’t realize that if you terminate health insurance coverage for an employee who has filed a workers’ comp claim, you can be hit with expensive penalties. In fact, even some comp insurers erroneously advise their policyholders that it’s OK to stop the health benefits of employees on workers’ comp so long as the […]
Twenty-one African-American workers at a Wonder Bread factory in San Francisco have sued the company for discrimination, saying they were denied promotions, given the worst shifts and subjected to racial slurs. They also claim that not one African-American is in a management position. Wonder’s parent company, Interstate Brands Corp., denies the charges and says it […]
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that two Maryland food processing plants will pay a total of $1 million to settle a sexual harassment suit on behalf of 22 female workers, all Central American immigrants. Male managers and co-workers allegedly groped the women and demanded sexual favors, and one woman was locked in a […]
President Clinton has signed into law new legislation, S. 2323, that excludes stock options from overtime pay. The bill takes effect on August 16, 2000, and is intended to counteract a recent Department of Labor opinion letter stating that stock option profits must be included in a nonexempt worker’s base pay when you calculate their […]
As we reported last month, the Industrial Welfare Commission is holding hearings and meetings throughout the state to review current overtime and other wage and hour rules and come up with new final wage orders. In this regular monthly feature, we’ll run down the IWC’s most recent activities.
A California Court of Appeal has ruled that a mechanic whose face was disfigured in a workplace explosion can have cosmetic surgery covered by workers’ compensation. The mechanic suffered severe burns when a welding torch ignited a fireball inside the fiber glass tank he was dismantling. The state Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board had determined that […]
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 […]
Fed/OSHA continues to move ahead with its controversial ergonomics proposal, despite pending legislation that would require more time for public comment before the rules are finalized. OSHA’s hearings on the proposal wrapped up May 12 after testimony from over 1,000 witnesses, and the agency expects to publish final regulations by year’s end. But the controversy […]
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has unveiled a new initiative to boost enforcement of the wage bias laws. The agency will create a new task force to help EEOC investigators analyze equal pay issues when employees file charges. The government is also providing additional educational resources through a new equal pay page on its […]
Employees can now use the Internet to file health and safety complaints, thanks to a new Fed/OSHA Web site focusing on workers’ rights. The new electronic complaint filing system, which makes it easier for employees to air their grievances, could bring a flood of new workplace investigations since the agency says that it will forward […]