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Legislation just introduced in the California Senate would create a pilot program offering tax credits linked to flexible work schedules. Employers in Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, Orange, San Francisco, San Mateo, SantaClara and Sonoma counties would be eligible for a $500 income tax credit for every employee placed on an alternative work schedule. […]
According to a new U.S. Department of Labor report, thegovernment collected a record $41 million from federal contractors last year for victims of discrimination. This was up from just over $35 million in 1998. The report also discloses the DOL’s plans to increase the number of government contractors in compliance with equal employment opportunity laws […]
As part of its ongoing ERISA enforcement, the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration recently investigated Walnut, Calif.-based Avacon Corporation’s 401(k) ERISA compliance. As a result of the investigation, the PWBA filed acomplaint, charging that four Avacon plan officials and trustees had failed to forward employee contributions to the plan in a timely fashion. During the […]
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is expected to propose rules that will change how federal contractors write affirmative action programs. Currently, employers with more than 50 employees andmore than $50,000 in annual federal contracts must maintain affirmative action plans. The proposed changes will reduce contractor paperwork and streamline the […]
Two California jurists were recently charged with sexual harassment by court employees. The first case involved Placer County Superior Court Judge W. Jackson Willoughby, who allegedly harassed his court clerk and bailiff by groping them and making sexist remarks. The county has shelled out almost $110,000 to settle the suits. And the state is now […]
Last month we reported on how you can use a last-chance agreement to give employees with substance abuse problems one more opportunity to improve before being terminated. Now a California Court of Appeal has upheld the termination of a worker who violated a similar agreement. Thomas Robison, a refuse collector for the city of Manteca, […]
Jennifer Passantino spent 18 years rising through the ranks at a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, eventually becoming one of its most successful female managers. But all that changed after she complained about sex discrimination. Suddenly she was excluded from important meetings, had her job responsibilities transferred to other employees and was repeatedly passed over for […]
If you’re looking for a free or low-cost way to boost your employee benefit package, a transportation spending account may be the way to go. These programs involve some administrative burdens, but they can result in income tax savings for employees and FICA tax savings for both you and your workers. Until now, many employers […]
When a male supervisor harasses a female employee, it’s obvious that you must take the matter seriously or face the likelihood of expensive damages if you’re sued. But many harassment claims don’t follow this typical pattern.In one recent lawsuit, an employee charged he was harassed because of his disability. And in another, a male worker […]
When Wal-Mart settled a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by two deaf job applicants, it didn’t just pay them lost wages and other damages. The retailer also promised to take specific steps to make it easier for hearing-impaired and other disabled workers to apply for and keep jobs. These measures provide a glimpse of what the […]