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DOL Examines English Proficiency Project
The Department of Labor (DOL) has released a report evaluating its Limited English Proficiency and Hispanic Worker Initiative project.The program was launched in 2006 with $4.9 million awarded to organizations in California, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, and Texas so they could test innovative strategies for delivering language and employment services to limited English proficient and […]
Bulletin Item: California Supreme Court Says Catholic Group Must Offer Contraception Coverage In Employee Health Plan
The California Supreme Court has ruled that a Catholic charity doesn’t qualify as a “religious employer” and therefore must comply with the Women’s Contraception Equity Act (WCEA) by offering prescription contraception coverage in its employee health plan if it offers prescription drug coverage—even if the organization opposes contraceptives on religious grounds. This ruling could impact […]
Feds Push to Publicize Exchanges in Wake of Unpreparedness Charges
More than a month after Max Baucus, D-Mont., an early proponent of health reform, said the implementation of state-based health insurance marketplaces was going so poorly that a “train wreck” would ensue, the Obama administration is now launching a public relations effort aimed at teaching consumers how to buy marketplace coverage. Marketplaces are supposed to […]
News Notes: Union Contract’s Arbitration Provision Covers Defamation Claim
Ernie Ruiz, a driver for Sysco Food Services of San Diego, was accused by a co-worker of brandishing a knife in an argument over a jacket. Ruiz was sent home, Sysco employees called police, and the next day, Ruiz—who denied the accusations—was terminated for violent and threatening conduct. He sued for defamation arising out […]
News Flash: Federal Court Orders Employer To Stop Requiring Employees To Sign Arbitration Agreements
The controversy over the use of mandatory arbitration for employment disputes continues as federal and state courts send contradictory signals to employers. While the California Supreme Court recently OK’d the use of mandatory arbitration, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has said that for some types of claims, such as age or race bias, […]
Benefits Denials Scrutinized When Plan Administrator Plays Dual Role
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on the level of scrutiny courts must apply when an employee challenges a denial of benefits and the plan administrator, whether the employer or an insurance company, played the dual role of determining whether the employee was eligible for benefits and paying benefits out of its own pocket.1 The […]
Planning Ahead for Health Care Reform: 2014
Employers — particularly those that sponsor self-funded plans — have important health care reform mandates to comply with in January 2014, many of which are unaffected by the Obama administration’s stay in enforcement of the pay-or-play rules. There is still time for employers to get their health care reform fixes right. The job is more […]
News Notes: Free Posters Available On New Labor Department Web Page
The federal Department of Labor has launched a new Web page to help employers comply with posting requirements for a number of federal laws. By answering a series of questions, you can determine which federal posters you must display and then print them directly from the Internet. The Web page also lists who to contact […]
News Notes: Holiday Wage-and-Hour Mistakes Prove Costly For Retailer
If you’re considering hiring minors to help out during the holiday season, be sure to double-check the rules. Toys ‘R’ Us has just agreed to pay $200,000 to settle Labor Department allegations that the toy retailer violated federal rules covering the employment of minors. The government charged that 14- and 15-year-olds were hired to work […]