Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that benefits plan administrators can be sued for failing to adequately advise employees of the terms of a mandatory arbitration procedure for appealing benefits decisions. Laboratory Corporation of America had a health plan with a 60-day time limit for requesting arbitration after an internal claim appeal was […]
A lawsuit filed by 94 temporary employees of Sacramento County who sought retroactive benefits was resolved under a $1.4 million settlement. The workers claimed the county illegally classified them as temporary employees, thereby denying them benefits. They said that under the county charter, temporary workers may be employed for only 30 days, whereas many of […]
A federal appeals court is currently considering challenges to San Francisco’s cutting-edge domestic partner ordinance. The law requires that companies who dobusiness with the city provide unmarried employees who have domestic partners the same benefits as married workers. An airline trade association succeeded in invalidating the provisions of the law covering health and welfare benefits. […]
Gov. Davis has signed into law A.B. 2509, which changes a number of existing state laws affecting responsibility for payment of wages and penalties for violations of employment-related laws. Here’s a rundown on the key provisions of the bill, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2001.
When RJR Nabisco decided to terminate an overfunded pension program, it purchased an annuity from an insurance company to cover its obligations to beneficiaries and plan participants. RJR then sold the pension fund’s assets, netting RJR more than $43 million. But the insurance company it chose to issue the annuity, Executive Life Insurance Company of […]
There is a lot of important new legislation affecting the workplace that Gov. Davis has signed into law. As the final hour for approving legislation approached, the governor vetoed bills to increase workers’ comp benefits, boost unemployment payments, expand leave for family and medical care, ban secret monitoring of employee e-mail and computer records, and […]
The Santa Cruz City Council has voted unanimously to adopt a minimum wage of $11 per hour with benefits or $12 without benefits. The living wage ordinance—the highest in the nation—would initially cover only full-time employees of the city and for-profit employers with city contracts. City officials hope to eventually extend the minimum wage to […]
A California Court of Appeal has upheld a decision to deny disability retirement benefits to a San Diego city utility worker. Before he started working for the city, Charles Alesi injured his knee several times while jet-skiing and in a beach football game. He then reinjured the knee twice at work and once more while […]
According to a recent California Court of Appeal decision involving Wal-Mart, you can be sued by an independent contractor’s employee if you supply equipment that’s involved in an accident injuring the worker. Wal-Mart had hired Musi-Cal to install a sound system in the retailer’s Chino, Calif., store. The work involved placing speakers and running wires […]
Our earlier article spells out what to look for to determine if an agreement complies with the new Supreme Court standards. But addressing problems with agreements employees have already signed presents additional issues.