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Almost 7 out of 10 American workers report that they plan to have a working retirement, working full- or part-time for pay past normal retirement age—and a full 12 percent say they believe they’ll never be able to retire. Another 14 percent say they want to work as volunteers in their golden years, and just […]
A new study by HR consulting firm Hewitt Associates shows that many workers cash out their 401(k) plans when they leave their jobs. The study, which looked at nearly 200,000 workers with 401(k) plans, found that 45 percent elected to take a cash distribution when departing, while the remainder either kept their savings in their […]
Antonina Lonicki worked as a technician in the sterile processing department of Sutter Health Central in the Sacramento area. Lonicki performed the same work duties at a second job on weekends for Kaiser Permanente. Over time, Lonicki alleged, her Sutter workload increased and became hectic and stressful. One day, when Sutter unexpectedly changed Lonicki’s shift, […]
In a new California appeals court decision, an employer learned the hard way about the obligation to accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs and practices—even if they conflict with work obligations. Request to Attend Religious Convention Lester Young, a Jehovah’s Witness, worked for Gemini Aluminum Corp. in Pomona. Young had attended a church convention almost every […]
A new ruling from the federal appeals court that covers California demonstrates how you can get hit with a retaliation claim following an employee’s request for a reasonable accommodation—even if it turns out the employee wasn’t disabled. The court also pointed out that travel restrictions don’t qualify as limitations on a major life activity for […]
Governor Schwarzenegger has signed new laws changing the information you must include on employee wage statements and clearing up how large the type must be on your whistleblower posters. Join us this fall in San Francisco for the California Employment Law Update conference, a 3-day event that will teach you everything you need to know […]
The largest single settlement Cal/ OSHA ever collected—$462,000—was for a work-related fire. In 1999, Tosco Refining Co. was cited for 33 alleged violations of state workplace safety regulations as a result of a fatal fire at its Avon plant near Martinez. Thankfully, most workplaces won’t experience such tragedies, but even so, OSHA reports that workplace […]
Honda of America Manufacturing Inc. violated the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) by delaying an employee’s reinstatement for one month following the employee’s notification that she was ready to return from a medical leave. A federal appeals court said that under the FMLA, job restoration must occur once the employee is capable […]
In 2002, President Bush signed into law the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, designed to deter corporate corruption and protect employees who blow the whistle on corporate transgressions. Now the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the agency designated to handle whistleblower complaints under the act, has released final rules regarding the complaint filing and investigation process. […]
A jury in Sacramento recently awarded a staggering $19 million—$15 million of it in punitive damages—to a McKesson Corp. employee who claimed her employer violated disability bias and family and medical leave laws. Charlene Roby allegedly was fired under the company’s no-fault absence policy after several unexcused absences because of a panic disorder. She also […]