Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By David R. Godofsky Yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Conkright v. Frommert rejects the “one-strike-and-you’re-out” rule, awarding a home run to Xerox as sponsor of a defined benefit pension plan. The Conkright case arose when Frommert and other employees brought a claim for benefits. The employees contended that the method Xerox used to compute […]
Yesterday, President Barack Obama signed the Continuing Extension Act of 2010 (H.R. 4851) into law. The bill, which passed the U.S. Senate by a 59-38 vote and the U.S. House of Representatives by a 289-112 vote yesterday, extends the original federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The new […]
by Calvin Keith, Perkins Coie For over 10 years, Oregon employers have been waiting for an answer to the question of whether they must accommodate a disabled worker’s use of medical marijuana. The Oregon Supreme Court’s April 14 decision in Emerald Steel Fabricators, Inc. v. Bureau of Labor and Industries answers that question with a […]
The IRS recently released Form W-11, Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act Employee Affidavit. The HIRE Act (H.R. 2847), a jobs bill President Barack Obama signed into law on March 18, 2010, provides tax breaks to employers that hire unemployed workers or individuals who were working only part-time in 2010. Under the HIRE Act, […]
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 […]
by Hector A. Chichoni Senate Immigration Subcommittee Chair Charles Schumer (D-New York) and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) are working together on a comprehensive immigration reform bill that they plan to introduce this year. In a recent Washington Post article, the senators laid out their plan’s “four pillars”: requiring biometric Social Security cards to ensure that […]
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has fired a loud warning shot to employers in its ongoing effort to increase federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) enforcement. In a news release late last year, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis first unveiled plans for a proposed program to work with […]
On March 27, President Barack Obama announced his intent to use his constitutional power to make appointments while Congress is in recess to appoint Democrat Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This is the first time the President has used recess appointments. Becker, a union attorney, has been a controversial nominee since […]
The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act (H.R. 2847), a jobs bill President Barack Obama signed into law on March 18, 2010, provides tax breaks to employers that hire unemployed workers or individuals who were only working part-time in 2010. Under the HIRE Act, qualified employers could receive a payroll tax incentive and a […]
Updated Thursday, March 25, 2010 Since President Barack Obama signed part of an expansive health care reform package into law on Tuesday, March 23, 2010, employers should prepare for many changes to their health and benefits plans. The President signed the U.S. Senate’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), which the U.S. House […]