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Family And Medical Leave: Supreme Court Says Employer Who Fails To Give FMLA Notice Is Not Required To Grant More Than 12 Weeks Of Leave

A Labor Department rule provides that when an employer fails to notify an employee that leave qualifies under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, the time off does not count toward the 12 weeks per year the employee is entitled to under the FMLA. Federal courts have split over whether this regulation is valid—and […]

Paying Foreign and Canadian Crews Comparable Wages Not Good Enough

By Thora Sigurdson, Nicola Sutton, and Derek Knoechel SELI Canada Inc. entered into a joint venture with SNC Lavalin and successfully bid on a contract to build a large rapid transit project in the Vancouver area. The so-called “Canada Line” has been a “hot button” project, causing heated debate about the cost to taxpayers, the […]

Who is GINA and Why Do I Care If She’s on Facebook?

GINA is, of course, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, says attorney Peter Lowe, and you do care about GINA and Facebook, because Facebook pages are likely to reveal prohibited genetic information. What is GINA: The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act prohibits employers from collecting genetic information or discriminating based on genetic information. Genetic information includes information […]

What Are Competitors in Your State Offering in Benefits? Survey Says …

BLR’s annual survey of benefits shows a slowing in healthcare cost increases, rising deductibles, and a quarter of employers paying their workers serving in the military. The results of BLR’s annual survey of benefits paid by U.S. companies are in. Here’s what they show. And here’s how to get the report sent to you every […]

‘Failing Forward’ Is the Best Option

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR’s CEO suggests that if you want to get ahead in HR, avoid gambles, but take risks! As the CEO and owner of a small business, I get to observe the willingness of people to take risks. Some are natural risk-takers. Some will bet only on a sure […]

News Notes: Union Membership Still Declining

According to a new U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report, union membership in 2002 sank to its lowest level in 20 years. In 2002, 13.2% of workers were union members, down from 13.4% in 2001 and a high of 20.1% in 1983, the first year for which comparable data are available. More than 2.5 million […]

Governor Vetoes Minimum Wage and Other Bills

Governor Schwarzenegger has vetoed A.B. 48, which would have boosted the minimum wage for California workers to $7.75 an hour by July 2007. In a veto message, the governor stated that he supports an increase in the minimum wage–which hasn’t been boosted since 2002–but that he isn’t in favor of legislation, like A.B. 48, that […]

News Notes: EEOC And Labor Department Team Up their Enforcement Efforts

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor have announced plans to share information and resources in enforcing anti-discrimination laws. Among other things, staff in the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division will be trained to detect violations of equal pay laws and share their findings with the EEOC. The agencies tout the […]

U.S. Senate Approves Several Amendments Dealing with Immigration Enforcement

By Hector A. Chichoni On Wednesday, July 8, 2009, the U.S. Senate approved several amendments dealing with immigration enforcement and benefits that were not included in the 2010 homeland security appropriations bill (H.R. 2892) passed previously by the House of Representatives. An amendment introduced by Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala) dealing with E-Verify was passed by […]