Most Popular

Bulletin Item: Ruling On Deductions From Employee Bonuses Stands

Earlier we reported on a California appeal court ruling challenging Ralph’s Grocery Co.’s practice of subtracting certain expenses—including the store’s workers’ compensation costs and cash and merchandise shortages—when calculating employee profit-based bonuses. Now the California Supreme Court has declined to review the appeal court ruling holding that the grocer’s practice violated various Labor Code and […]

News Notes: New Law Expands Right To Time Off For Court Appearances

A new measure signed by Governor Davis expands existing law that permits employees to take unpaid time off from work to serve on a jury or act as a witness. The new law specifies that an employee who is a victim of domestic violence or other crimes may also take time off to attend court […]

News Notes: Employee’s Lack of Experience Defeats Equal Pay Claim

Paula Green, who was hired by the Ontario office of Par Pools as a swimming pool construction superintendent, complained that her $400-per-week salary was lower than the salaries paid to male construction superintendents with jobs identical to hers. She sued Par Pools under the California equal pay law. But a California Court of Appeal dismissed […]

News Notes: New Medical Child Support Notice Expected This Year

The federal government is developing a new employer notice dealing with court-ordered medical support obligations for children of divorced or separated parents. The “National Medical Support Notice” will notify you of your obligation to withhold pay when necessary to enroll a noncustodial parent’s child in an employer-provided healthcare plan. Although new regulations were to be […]

Age Discrimination: New Case Examines Whether You Can Deny Older Workers Educational Assistance Benefits; Preventive Measures To Take

Suppose an employee in their 50s or 60s wants to take advantage of your employee educational assistance program. You may be reluctant to shell out thousands of dollars to educate a worker who’s close to retirement. One employer that faced this situation recently got slapped with an age discrimination lawsuit when an older worker’s request […]

News Notes: Employer Never ‘Paid’ Employee Whose Paycheck Was Illegally Intercepted

  Felix C. Villafuerte complained to the Labor Commissioner that Pasadena-based Inter-Con Security Systems Inc. never paid him his final wages when he quit. Inter-Con claimed it had mailed a final paycheck to Villafuerte but that an unknown person had illegally intercepted and cashed it by forging Villafuerte’s signature. A California Court of Appeal now […]

E-Alert Item: DOL Finds Sun Microsystems Violated H-1B Posting Requirements

The federal Department of Labor has found that Sun Microsystems in Santa Clara failed to comply with a rule requiring posting notices regarding hiring workers under the H-1B visa program. The DOL has now ordered Sun to display the notices, but hasn’t assessed any penalties or fines because it found that the posting violations weren’t […]

EEOC Reports Record Highs, Reductions in 2011

According to the annual Performance and Accountability Report released in November, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) finished fiscal year 2011 with a 10 percent decrease in its pending-charge inventory, the first such reduction since 2002. At the same time, the agency achieved the highest-ever monetary amounts through administrative enforcement, and it received a record […]