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On Jan. 1, 2005, the California Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act (DPRRA) went into effect, giving registered domestic partners the same rights, duties, benefits, and responsibilities that spouses enjoy under California law. Now, the California Supreme Court, in its first ruling under the DPRRA, has said that the law creates broad responsibilities for businesses […]
When Specialty Restaurants Corp. (SRC) hired Alberto Pinero as general manager of Luminarias in Monterey Park, Pinero had an age bias lawsuit pending against his former employer that he didn’t tell SRC about. When SRC’s chief executive learned about the suit, he tried to persuade Pinero to drop it on the grounds that it was […]
President Bush has signed the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004 and the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, both of which make important tax changes employers need to keep in mind.
What’ll it be this year, a holiday ham for your employees or a holiday gift coupon for a comparable amount? It would seem reasonable to view these presents as more or less the same, at least for tax purposes. But, as we’ll explain, the IRS said otherwise in a recent decision.
A new case underscores just how costly a mistake it can be to not provide departing employees with timely notice of their rights under COBRA to continue their group health coverage.
The state Supreme Court has left in place a ruling that forces some church-backed institutions—such as hospitals and charity organizations—to pay for workers’ contraceptive health insurance benefits. Justices turned down an appeal from a Roman Catholic organization asking the court to overturn a requirement that employers who offer prescription benefits to employees also must cover […]
The nation’s high court has unanimously ruled that workers with employer-sponsored health insurance can’t sue their health maintenance organization (HMO) in state courts when their HMO won’t cover a recommended treatment. The decision is generally being hailed as good news for employers who provide health benefits.
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal has upheld the City of Berkeley’s living wage law in the face of a challenge to its constitutionality.1Berkeley’s law, enacted in 2000, requires certain city contractors and lessees to pay workers a minimum hourly wage a few dollars higher than state and federal minimums, plus health benefits. […]
A SIMPLE IRA Plan Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees of Small Employers allows employees and employers to contribute to individual employee retirement accounts. As the name implies, it’s a simplified plan geared toward small employers, which means it’s relatively easy to set up and operate, with lower administrative costs than for more complicated types […]
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review a Ninth Circuit ruling upholding a San Francisco ordinance requiring contractors to provide domestic partner benefits. The case involved S.D. Myers Inc., an Ohio company that was denied a city contract because it refused to provide its employees with domestic partner benefits. The company unsuccessfully charged that […]