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Agency proposes clearinghouse for commercial driver drug tests

by Charles S. Plumb The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed a new rule that would create a database of commercial drivers’ drug test histories, making it easier for employers to find a job candidate’s past drug test results. The comment period is open until April 21. Under the current rules, employers that hire […]

Law Firm Predicts Workplace Wellness Programs Will Become Mandatory

Will the day come when you either join your company’s workplace wellness program or be disciplined or terminated? A new report says Yes. Make a list of your company’s assets. It will certainly include your facilities and equipment, your in-house talent and proprietary knowledge, and your goodwill. And these days, there is likely to be […]

Filipino Hospital Workers Sue Over English-Only Rule

A group of 52 nurses and staff is seeking to join an August complaint filed by the EEOC against the Delano Regional Medical Center, an acute care facility in the San Joaquin Valley. The complaint alleges illegal bias in the hospital’s enforcement of an “English-only” rule; the employees claim that Tagalog was banned, but that […]

Q&A on pay surveys and pay raises

For employers looking to utilize pay surveys to get market benchmarks, where should they look? Who is the best source for pay surveys? What about employers who already have benchmarks but want instead to implement raises on a limited budget—how should they determine how much of a raise to give for everyone versus how much to only top performers?

‘New’ OSHA Uses Old Policy to Make Example of Employers

OSHA is making aggressive use of “egregious violations” to levy large fines and make an example of employers where it considers hazards to have been very serious, including a $16.6 million fine in Connecticut last week and another case in Wisconsin. But the question is whether the violations will hold up in the face of […]

Potential Pitfall in Social Media Screening of Potential Hires

The Internet Age and, more specifically, the social media age have added a new element to the hiring process. Rather than relying predominantly on what employees say about themselves on their résumés and cover letters, or what their handpicked cheerleaders say about them in letters of recommendation, employers can easily type a candidate’s name into […]

How Can Wage and Hour Bring You Down? Let Us Count The Ways

Wage and hour missteps are common—but that doesn’t mean they’re not incredibly damaging to employers. Today, here are four you should avoid at all costs, plus an introduction to a comprehensive 1-day seminar that will answer all of your California wage and hour questions once and for all.

Wage and Hour: Upcoming Public Forum on Meal and Rest Periods

The California Labor Commissioner has scheduled a public forum to discuss meal and rest period issues. The forum will be held tomorrow, August 2, in Sacramento. For those who cannot attend, the Labor Commissioner will accept written comments until August 31, 2007. Also, an second forum is being planned for the Southern California area, although […]

Breach Notice Brings $1.5M HIPAA Enforcement Action

A health insurer agreed to pay $1.5 million and adopt a detailed corrective action plan to resolve HIPAA security allegations stemming from a 2009 data breach. This is the first HIPAA enforcement action to result from the breach reports now required by the HITECH Act. Like many data breaches that have been making the news […]