Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
A new federal law now in effect says that if you offer mental health benefits, they must have the same aggregate lifetime and annual limits as medical benefits. The law applies to employers with 50 or more employees. There’s an exemption for employerswho can show the parity requirements will increase their costsby more than 1%. […]
A new law (A.B. 1889) effective Jan. 1, 2001, prohibits employers who receive state contracts worth $50,000 or more from using the funds to assist, promote or deter union organizing. Each time a contractor requests payment from the state, it must certify that it is in compliance with this restriction and it must have records […]
The Department of Labor has released new regulations that will require you to revise your summary plan descriptions (SPDs) for pension and welfare benefit plans so they are more detailed than ever. Here’s a look at the information that must be included under the new rules.
The California Franchise Tax Board has announced state tax benefits for businesses and employees who aid Hurricane Katrina relief efforts by donating the cash value of employee leave time. The program–which mirrors a similar federal IRS program announced last week–allows workers to donate unused sick, vacation, or other personal leave time in exchange for the […]
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 […]
In a recent meeting with President Vicente Fox of Mexico, a delegation of American senators led by Senator Phil Gramm (R-Texas) pledged to initiate a new guest worker program that would bring Mexican workers into the U.S. and effectively grant amnesty to as many as 7 million Mexicans currently working here illegally. According to Gramm, […]
by By J. Robert Brame, McGuireWoods, LLP U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has announced he will retire at the end of the current Court session in June or July. Stevens, who turns 90 on April 20 and is the longest-serving member of the current Court, had hinted that a decision on retirement might […]
A criminal background check on a new employee has revealed that the employee has a warrant for his arrest (drunk driving). The warrant does not appear to have been resolved. Can we discuss this matter with the employee? If so, and if the employee indicates that the matter has been resolved in the courts, can […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Just My E-Pinion In the past 2 years, executive comp has been battered as never before. From the general public to Congress—and don’t forget shareholders—there is increased scrutiny over the amount of compensation and its relation to results. High compensation—some would say obscenely high—is what attracts and keeps […]