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Hot List: BusinessWeek’s Best Seller List
BusinessWeek magazine ranks the 15 best selling hardcover and paperback business books in March 2009 and gives a short summary. 1. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. As you’d expect with Gladwell, there are lots of surprises in his explanation of why some people succeed fantastically. Pluck and smarts get less play here […]
Paid Sick Leave Measure Introduced in Congress
U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) have introduced the Healthy Families Act, legislation that, if passed, would guarantee seven paid sick days per year to employees working at least 30 hours a week at companies with 15 or more workers. The sick days could be used for the employee’s own medical […]
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 […]
Youth Workers: Stricter Child Labor Rules May Be on the Way
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that it intends to make big changes to child labor provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The DOL has released a proposal that would strengthen existing youth employment regulations to protect against workplace hazards and expand certain youth workplace opportunities that have been judged safe and […]
Jobless Rate Falls Near Two-Year Low
February 2011 saw the nation’s unemployment rate drop to 8.9 percent, the lowest in almost two years. Employers added 192,000 jobs last month and made significant gains in payroll. Although economists predicted a strong February report, the gains were still above market expectations. The job growth represented the biggest monthly jump since May of 2010. […]
E-Alerts: Mandatory Arbitration: Court to Take Another Look at Recent Ruling
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal has decided to review its ruling last year upholding mandatory arbitration of bias claims. The case involves secretary Donald Lagatree, whose job offer at the law firm of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps was revoked when he refused to sign a binding arbitration agreement. A three-judge panel sided […]
Workers’ Compensation: Governor Signs Reform Package, Employers to Soon See Savings
Gov. Davis has signed landmark legislation to reform California’s troubled workers’ compensation system and put a lid on the upward spiral in workers’ comp costs faced by California employers. And now, after having pored over the numbers, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) has recommended that the 12 percent pure premium rate increase scheduled […]
New FMLA Leave For Military Families; Plus DOL Proposes FMLA Rules Update
Amnesty for Aliens: Good for the Country (and Your Company) or Bad?
By HRDA Editor Stephen D. Bruce, PHR Just My E-Pinion A recent question to the BLR® HR Forum about amnesty for illegal aliens generated an interesting set of responses, all well-reasoned, although not all agreeing. The question was: Just wondering what my HR colleagues think of granting mass amnesty to illegal aliens currently residing in […]