Archives

Wal-Mart Layoffs Declared Illegal by Quebec Arbitrator

As we have reported before (January 6, 2009, December 2, 2008, and August 26, 2008), Wal-Mart has repeatedly been dealt blows by Canadian courts and other decision-makers. Most recently, an arbitrator in Quebec has weighed in – and it’s more bad news for Wal-Mart in Canada. Wal-Mart’s store in Jonquiere, Quebec, was certified by the […]

Hot List: New York Times Bestselling Paperback Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling paperback business books as ranked by the New York Times on November 9. 1. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.) by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. A maverick scholar and a journalist apply economic theory to everything from cheating sumo […]

FLSA Audit: 9 Compliance Tips and a Checklist

Why is now the time to conduct a wage and hour audit at your company? Because now is the time that you are going to get sued, warns attorney Marc L. Jacuzzi. Jacuzzi attributes the significant increase in Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) claims to the fact that so many people are out of work, […]

House Passes Momentous Health Care Reform Legislation

In a 220-215 vote, House Democrats passed a controversial health care reform bill with only one Republican voting for the legislation. The Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) is a combination of three different health care reform bills approved by House committees this summer and is 1,990 pages with a 42-page manager’s amendment. […]

Senators Introduce Another COBRA Subsidy Extension Bill

Update Dec. 21, 2009: President signs bill including COBRA subsidy extension Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) introduced the COBRA Subsidy Extension and Enhancement Act (S. 2730) this week in the U.S. Senate. The proposed bill would extend the original federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 […]

Hostile Work Environment: Employee Warned to ‘Find God’ or ‘Go to Hell’

Claims of unlawful religious discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 may involve your unwillingness to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious practices, oral or physical harassment, or unwelcome imposition of religious views or practices on an employee. A hostile work environment can exist when the workplace is permeated with discriminatory intimidation, […]

Deterring Intermittent FMLA Leave Abuse

by Susan M. Webman and Burton F. Fishman of Fortney & Scott, LLC The new Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations, while not a panacea for the long-standing problem of employees using FMLA rights as an excuse to take leave on an intermittent and, at times, seemingly irrational basis, do offer some help in […]

It’s the Customer, Stupid

It’s hard to believe but 2009 is coming to an end. For many, 2009 can’t be over soon enough. For most businesses, it has been a challenging year. And while we’ve seen a rebound in the stock market, most companies are reporting earnings that, while they beat analysts’ estimates, are still significantly less than they […]