Author: Kate McGovern Tornone

Puzder hearing set for January, Dems defend overtime rules

The Senate has scheduled a January confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of labor. Trump’s nomination of Andy Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, was the death knell for the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) new Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime regulations, according to John Husband, a partner at Holland & Hart […]

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Paycheck transparency: Are you ready for January 1 implementation?

by H. Juanita M. Beecher Although a Texas federal district court judge barred the implementation of the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces (FPSW) final rule, the paycheck transparency requirements of FPSW are still scheduled to become effective for federal contractors with new contracts worth more than $500,000 issued after January 1, 2017. For new contracts […]

When Do You Start Looking for Another Job?

It may start with the alarm clock ringing a little too stridently one workday morning. Or, it could happen when you’re staring at another work assignment and failing to muster enthusiasm. Or, it’s the day you say to yourself, “I just can’t do this anymore.”

When are criminal charges none of your business?

by Hannah Roskey Off-duty misconduct could lead to an employee’s dismissal. But a recent court decision in Ontario suggests that the circumstances where that will amount to just cause for termination are quite limited. The court found that an employee who had been fired after being criminally charged with sexual assault was wrongfully dismissed. The […]

Which employer mandates are on Trump’s chopping block?

Employers can expect some relief from federal requirements under the Trump administration, especially those put in place under President Obama.  New pay reporting requirements and the overtime rules almost certainly are doomed, as are new requirements for contractors, attorneys from Fortney & Scott predicted during a recent webinar. On the other hand, employers are likely […]

‘Twas the holiday spirit come around again (and just in time)

by Vanessa L. Towarnicky ‘Twas the month of December, the holiday season, New year ’round the corner, my mind taxed beyond reason. The workplace has been digitized down to an app. My records and files appear with a tap.  As do Pidgey and Horsea and even Hypno, My Millennials have got me playing Pokémon GO. […]

Florida minimum wage increasing to $8.10 on January 1

by Lisa Berg Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A. The minimum wage in Florida is set to go up five cents to $8.10 an hour on January 1. The current hourly minimum wage is $8.05. The increase is based on the percentage increase in the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners […]

I was lucky to know Lee Smith

by Dan Oswald I was extremely sad to learn today that Lee Smith, the founder of M. Lee Smith Publishers, passed away Tuesday night. Lee was a true southern gentleman and a savvy businessman. Lee founded his company in 1975 and built an incredible business that successfully served hundreds of thousands of customers over the […]

New Illinois law bans noncompetition agreements for low-wage workers

by Steven L. Brenneman The Illinois Freedom to Work Act, which will ban noncompetition agreements for low-wage private-sector employees, goes into effect on January 1. The law defines a “low-wage employee” as an employee who earns the greater of the applicable federal, state, or local minimum wage or $13 per hour. Therefore, the law initially […]

D.C. Council approves bill providing paid family leave

The District of Columbia Council approved a bill on December 20 requiring employers to give workers eight weeks’ paid leave for the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child. Employers will pay for the leave through a payroll tax. In addition to the eight weeks of parental leave, the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act […]