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Earlier this month, a statewide class-action lawsuit was filed in a Northern California federal court, alleging that Minnesota-based giant 3M systematically discriminates against older employees. The lawsuit follows a similar case already pending in 3M’s home state.
By now, most employers have at least heard that California prohibits “use it or lose it” vacation policies—meaning that once an employee earns vacation time, that time can’t be forfeited for any reason. But can an employer decide not to award vacation time right away to new employees? The answer is yes—according to a recent […]
The federal Transportation Department’s announcement banning texting by drivers of commercial vehicles is sure to make employers think twice about their policies even if they don’t have trucks or buses on the road. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made the announcement January 26 that an interpretation of standing rules prohibits texting by drivers of commercial […]
In a record-setting settlement, the federal government has agreed to pay $508 million to more than 1,000 women who claimed the now defunct U.S.Information Agency denied them jobs based upon their sex. The women had applied forpositions as writers, editors, technicians and foreign-language broadcasters between 1974and 1984. The government was also ordered to pay the […]
Each year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) publishes information about the number and type of discrimination charges employees have filed along with the amount of money it has recovered on their behalf. In fiscal year (FY) 2007, 82,792 private-sector discrimination charges were filed with the agency, and it recovered $345 million in monetary relief […]
It’s going to be a crazy year for health insurance—that’s for sure. How are your competitors going to handle it? How do you match up? Let’s find out. Participate in this brief survey and see how your health benefits stack up against those of other successful companies. The survey takes only a few minutes to […]
Recently, Lynn Noyes, a permanent software developer at temp agency Kelly Services in Nevada City (near Sacramento) won a massive $6.5 million verdict when a jury found that Noyes’ manager failed to select Noyes for promotion because she lacked certain religious beliefs held by that manager. Evidence in the case showed that the manager also […]
On Dec. 16, the IRS issued clarifications on how the U.S. v. Windsor ruling on same-gender marriage affects the administration of cafeteria plans, flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts. IRS Notice 2014-1 is in the form of 10 questions and answers regarding midyear election changes, FSA reimbursements and contribution limits for HSAs and dependent […]