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Senate Hearing on Pay Equity May Discuss Paycheck Fairness Act

A Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee hearing on pay equity, scheduled for Thursday, March 11, may revive discussion of the stalled Paycheck Fairness Act. The Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182; H.R. 11) was sponsored before the Senate in January 2009 by then-Senator Hillary Clinton and Representative Rosa DeLauro. Representative DeLauro will appear […]

Hot List: The Library Journal’s Best Business Books of 2009

In its 133rd year of publication, Library Journal is the oldest and most respected publication covering the library field, with review sections evaluating nearly 7000 books annually, along with hundreds of audiobooks, videos, databases, web sites, and systems that libraries buy.  Recently, Library Journal released its list of the 32 best business books of 2009, […]

Beware the Phantom Class Action

Demand letters masquerading as class action suits are threatening organizations across the country. You haven’t heard about phantom suits, says attorney James Boudreau, because they don’t get filed. But these insidious attacks are costing employers plenty. Boudreau’s remarks came at a Littler Mendelson Employer Conference in New York City. Boudreau is a partner in the […]

‘Bring-Your-Gun to-Work’ Bill Awaits Governor’s Signature

by David Wagner, Mitzi Martin, and Susan Kline Late Thursday, the Indiana Legislature passed, with overwhelming support, a bill prohibiting employers from keeping employees’ legally-possessed firearms off their property, so long as the firearms are kept out of sight in a locked vehicle. The bill, which mirrors laws in 12 states and was supported by […]

Posturing, Politics, and Partisanship . . . But No Progress

I came away from last week’s health care summit scratching my head. What exactly was accomplished that moved our country one step closer to resolution of the health care debate? From what I can tell, absolutely nothing. There was certainly plenty of posturing. Both Democrats and Republicans pretended to be interested in working with the […]

COBRA Subsidies Extended

President Obama has signed legislation extending the deadline for COBRA continuation coverage subsidies, allowing workers who are involuntarily terminated in March to qualify for the program. The Senate approved the legislation, the Temporary Extension Act of 2010 (H. R. 4691), late on Tuesday.

Baby, Baby, Please

Litigation Value: Not much. With collective attentions devoted almost entirely to the miracle of childbirth, the Scranton branch didn’t leave us much to work with tonight. Whereas Dwight Schrute’s senseless destruction of Jim and Pam Halpert’s kitchen cabinetry exposes him to a cornucopia of civil and criminal liabilities in his own right, it’s unlikely that […]

Making the case to keep human resources

Making the Case for Keeping HR

In today’s world of corporate belt-tightening and budget cutbacks, you might find yourself wondering whether the expense of an HR staff is actually justified by the benefits. After all, HR doesn’t create revenue for the company — it doesn’t operate the machinery that produces the widgets, and it doesn’t drive sales. In fact, the perception […]

Male-Male Sexual Harassment Claims on the Rise

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), sexual harassment charges by men have doubled since 1992, accounting for 16 percent of the 12,696 sexual harassment charges filed in the 2009 fiscal year. And while female-male sexual harassment certainly makes up some portion of those claims, it’s evident that male-male harassment claims are also on […]

Nine Reasons You Should Keep No Secrets from Employees

By Quint Studer Just My E-Pinion Do your employees really know what’s going on with your company? "Don’t be worried that they can’t handle the truth," says bestselling author Quint Studer. He offers convincing reasons for creating a culture of transparency in your company—starting now. The economy may be improving, but employees are still worried: […]