Tag: news

South Carolina Court Says “No” To NLRB Posting Rule

By Richard J. Morgan For over 75 years, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) was one of a very few federal labor agencies that didn’t require employers to post a general notice of employee rights in the workplace. Yet, on December 22, 2010, the NLRB decided it would change its 75-year history. On that date, […]

California Supreme Court Issues Meal and Rest Break Ruling

By Mark I. Schickman California employers have been waiting since October 2008 for the California Supreme Court to issue its ruling in the Brinker Restaurant case, clarifying whether employers must “ensure” that employees take meal and rest breaks or simply “provide” those breaks. Today, the court unanimously served up a major victory to California employers […]

Maryland Passes Law Prohibiting Employers from Seeking Social Media Passwords

by Kevin McCormick Maryland has become the first state to enact password protection legislation designed to prohibit employers from requiring applicants and employees to disclose their personal passwords to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. The legislation was passed April 9 and is expected to be signed by Governor Martin O’Malley. If […]

Injuries to Nursing Home Workers

OSHA Targets Nursing Homes in New National Emphasis Program

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a National Emphasis Program (NEP) that for the next three years will step up inspections of health hazards to workers in the nursing and residential care industry. A statement from OSHA quotes figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that workers in nursing and […]

Controversial Gay Rights Ordinance Goes into Effect in Omaha

by Mark M. Schorr As of March 28, 2012, a new protected category has been created under the Omaha Municipal Ordinance enforced by Omaha’s Human Rights and Relations Department. Omaha residents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender are now protected from discrimination in the same way that sex, race, national origin, age, marital status, […]

EEOC Issues Rule Clarifying ‘Reasonable Factors Other Than Age’

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued a new rule aimed at clarifying when the “reasonable factors other than age” (RFOA) defense can be used in claims filed under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The rule is to be published in the Federal Register on March 30. A statement from the EEOC […]

Comments Sought on Proposed Changes to Form I-9

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is inviting public comment on proposed revisions to Form I-9, the form all U.S. employers are required to keep on employees to document that they are eligible to work in the United States. Comments will be accepted until May 29. Key revisions to the form include: Expanded Form […]

2013 H-1B Petitions to Be Accepted Beginning April 2

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting H-1B visa petitions for fiscal year 2013 on Monday, April 2. Petitions for the visas, which allow nonimmigrant specialists to temporarily work in the United States, will be considered accepted on the date USCIS takes possession of a properly filed petition with the correct fee. […]

New Florida Law Allows Random Drug Testing of State Employees

by G. Thomas Harper Governor Rick Scott has signed into law controversial House Bill (HB) 1205, which will change the way state employers deal with drug testing their employees. What follows is a quick update on how HB 1205 will affect employers when it goes into effect at the beginning of July. In addition to […]