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It’s no secret that the private pension system in the United States is in crisis. Last week, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), which insures pensions for about 44 million Americans, announced that it has a startling deficit of $23 billion, fueled largely by having to take over pension plan liabilities of bankrupt airlines. But […]
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday ruled unanimously that the Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to pay workers who are required to don protective gear on the employer’s premises for the time it takes the employees to walk between the changing and production areas. The court also decided, however, that employers need not compensate employees for […]
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released new guidance explaining the rights of the blind and visually impaired under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The new guidance, issued in a question-and-answer format, covers when a vision impairment qualifies as a disability, questions employers may ask applicants and employees about their vision impairments, the circumstances […]
Are you classifying your white-collar workers correctly? Are you sure? Getting it wrong can trigger costly penalties and fines. In our exclusive Special Report, “White-Collar Overtime Exemptions Are Revised–and Could Mean Higher OT Costs for You,” we explain what you need to know in light of the recent revisions to the FLSA. We also provide […]
Many of our employees drive their privately owned vehicles on company business. We’re concerned about their insurance. Can we make them provide us with a “Certificate of Liability Insurance” listing us as the certificate holder, so we’ll know for sure that their insurance is in effect? Also we’d like to require that they carry higher […]
This meal period deal is driving me nuts. The workers on our assembly line usually work 6-hour shifts. Most of the crew want to work through the meal break, and we’d like that too—more productivity. But we have a few who insist on their meal break. And we can’t run the assembly line without the […]
Measures to raise the federal minimum wage to $6.25 per hour, up from the current $5.15 per hour, failed in the Senate last week. One measure, introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) as an amendment to a spending bill, was rejected in a 51-47 vote, and a similar GOP-introduced bill went down in a 57-42 […]
A special statewide election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The California Elections Code requires employers in the private and public sectors to allow employees to take paid time off to vote if they don’t have sufficient time outside of work hours, but […]
If you and your employees are looking for valuable ways to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, a new program launched by the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service may help you out. In particular, the agencies have announced a program for employees to donate leave in exchange for employer cash […]
Charles Tellis, an Alaska Airlines maintenance mechanic in Seattle, told his supervisor on July 4 that he needed time off because his wife was having difficulties with her pregnancy. His supervisor suggested Tellis contact the benefits department about taking leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Later that evening, instead of showing up […]