Author: Dan Oswald

14 qualities and attributes of great leaders

by Dan Oswald Marvin Bower joined McKinsey & Company in 1933 and served as the management consulting firm’s managing partner from 1950 to 1967. In 1997, he published a book titled The Will to Lead: Running a Business with a Network of Leaders, in which he shares his perspectives on leadership. One of Bower’s beliefs […]

Overtime class actions on the increase in Canada

By Hannah Roskey Overtime class actions are alive and well in Canada. This was confirmed by a recent Ontario court decision. In Rosen v. BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., a Superior Court judge allowed such a class action, brought on behalf of a group of investment advisers, to proceed.

Connecticut’s minimum wage will jump to $10.10 per hour in 2017

by Jonathan C. Sterling On March 27, Governor Dannel Malloy signed a law that will increase Connecticut’s minimum wage in each of the next three years. The minimum wage will rise to $10.10 per hour in 2017. You may remember that just last year, a law was passed to increase the minimum wage to $8.70 […]

Comment period nears end for NLRB ‘quickie election’ rule

by Lauren E.M. Russell April 7 marks the end of the comment period for proposed rules from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that would shorten the time needed to hold union representation elections. This latest effort is the second time the NLRB has broached the subject of what foes call “quickie elections.” The first […]

No paydirt yet: Northwestern players have ground to cover before unionization

Last week, we brought you an article about the UAW losing a recent election at VW and how it may be a sign of the end for the union. As unions struggle in some traditional areas, they are reaching out into previously uncharted territory, making headlines this week with the story of college football players […]

If Bill Cosby is wearing a garish sweater, this must be 1980s TV!

A few weeks ago, I saw a news story about how the last of the baby boomers are turning 50 in 2014. “Wow, that’s old,” I thought, until I realized that I’m 53. Then, as if I needed any further reminders of my elder statesmanship, one of the legal assistants in our office, a 20-something, […]

NLRB regional director orders union election for Northwestern football players

A regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled that football players at Northwestern University are entitled to a union election because they’re essentially employees of the private university located in Evanston, Illinois. Peter Sung Ohr, Region 13 director of the NLRB, issued an order on March 26 that a union representation […]

Keeping bad bosses at bay: How HR can make a difference

It’s an HR nightmare. A boss pressures an employee to lie, cheat, and steal as part of the job. Maybe that same boss also routinely yells and curses at employees or makes them work uncompensated overtime. There’s no excuse for it, but sometimes bosses behave badly, and they can do untold harm in the process. […]

Master the 5 levels of leadership

by Dan Oswald My youngest son came home from school the other day with a packet of information from one of his coaches. Included in the packet was a sheet of paper titled “The Leadership Continuum.” It outlines five levels of leadership and what is necessary to demonstrate each. I hadn’t seen this before, but […]

OFCCP releases resources to help contractors comply with new regulations

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has posted information on its website to help federal contractors comply with the new regulations pertaining to the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. The new resources are: The VEVRAA benchmark database; The Disability […]