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News Notes: Pension Reform May Be Coming; IRA Payroll Deductions Urged

Several bills pending in Congress could impact your pension plans. HR 1102 would increase the amount workers can contribute to 401(k) accounts and require faster vesting of matching employer contributions. It would also introduce new Roth 401(k)s and 403(b)s, allowing employees to contribute after-tax dollars but receive tax-free retirement benefits. Another measure, S 659, would […]

E-Alert Item: Court Says Employer Erred When It Unilaterally Discontinued Dues Check-Off Provision

When a collective bargaining agreement expires, and the union and management haven’t negotiated a new one, an employer must maintain the status quo. This means the employer can’t impose unilateral changes on issues that are considered “mandatory subjects of bargaining,” until a new contract is negotiated or the parties have bargained to impasse. Applying this […]

Training: We’ve Done Our Sexual Harassment Training; What Other Types of Harassment Training Do We Need?

We’ve gotten through the initial round of our required sexual harassment training. Whew! But I want to expand it to include other types of harassment, such as religious harassment, disability harassment, and so on. Which elements do you recommend we include, and should we incorporate this training into the sexual harassment training, or do it […]

The Minimum Wage Increase: Does It Really Matter?

By BLR Founder and Publisher Bob Brady Congress looks likely to raise the minimum wage. But BLR’s CEO says it’s likely to have minimal effect. It looks like Congress is going to increase the minimum wage for the first time since 1997. The House has passed the measure overwhelmingly, and the Senate has agreed in […]

Can tribunal rule on harassment complaint if alleged harasser works for different employer?

by Lorene Novakowski The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal had no jurisdiction to hear a complaint where the alleged harasser was employed by a different employer than the alleged victim. The alleged harasser was not in a position of control over the complainant even though they worked at the same site. So the complaint was […]

Federal Fair Pay Act’s Supporters Fail in Effort to Force Senate Vote

A bill that would give employees more time to file lawsuits challenging discriminatory pay practices has run into trouble in Congress. The federal Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007 (H.R. 2831) was introduced last year to circumvent a controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that the deadline for workers to file pay bias complaints is […]