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President Signs COBRA Subsidy Extension Legislation into Law

President Barack Obama signed legislation into law today that would extend the original federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The legislation was part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010 (H.R. 3326), a bill that appropriates funds for the Department of Defense. The bill passed the U.S. […]

Does Temporary Layoff Result in Right to Severance Pay?

By Derek Knoechel In early 2008, the owner of a dental practice, having recently purchased the business, faced some difficult choices. Given what appeared to be a temporary downturn in revenues, the owners decided on a temporary layoff. While permitted by employment standards laws, the employer in the recent case of Besse v. Dr. A.S. […]

3 Keys to Preventing Harassment: Training, Training, and Training

Yesterday’s Advisor presented four sexual harassment scenarios. Today, we’ll look at two more, and introduce an efficient training tool that will help you eliminate harassment and other employee behavior challenges. (Go here for the first four scenarios. The scenarios are from training programs in the BLR® Employee Training Center.) Jake P Scares Penny R Penny […]

Is Your Harassment Training Too Risqué?

Harassment training is always tricky—Discuss the behaviors of harassing managers, and you may be creating an uncomfortable environment just with your training. Here are a few scenarios that should get discussions going without offending. The scenarios below are from training programs in the BLR® Employee Training Center. Gayla’s Dress is “Provocative” Gayla G’s job took […]

Senate Votes to Extend COBRA Subsidy

Update Dec. 21, 2009: President signs bill including COBRA subsidy extension In an unusual Saturday morning session on Dec. 19, the U.S. Senate voted 88-10 to pass legislation that would extend the original federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which President Barack Obama signed into law in […]

Fair Pay Act Revives Police Employee’s Discrimination Claims

by Teresa A. Cheek The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a decision applying the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — the first bill signed into law by President Barack Obama in January 2009. HR Guide to Employment Law: A practical compliance reference manual covering 14 topics, including discrimination Facts Mary Lou Mikula was […]

NLRB May Make Significant Changes Even Without EFCA

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) celebrated the 75th anniversary of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which created the Board. Commenting on the stalled so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), Chairman Wilma Liebman noted that congressional inaction on the EFCA may contribute to the “flip-flopping” with which the Board has been accused. She also […]

What Makes a Great Employee?

Frequently I’m asked, “What is the one thing that sets really great employees apart from the rest?” It’s an interesting question. I’m always surprised that people would assume that there might be a single common thread that ties all the best employees together. The questioners assume there is a single trait shared by the best […]

Lawyers See Easy Money in Wage-and-Hour Litigation

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Wage-and-hour rules have been around for nearly three-quarters of a century—ever since FDR’s New Deal— so it’s hard to picture them triggering the next wave of employment litigation, but California attorney Marc Jacuzzi thinks otherwise. Litigation Tsunami? “Plaintiffs’ lawyers are leaving the ugly world of discrimination and going […]