Tag: news

High court upholds Michigan’s ban on affirmative action in higher education

Michigan voters’ right to prohibit preferential race-based admissions programs in the state’s university system was upheld today by the U.S. Supreme Court in Schuette v. The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigration Rights and Fight for Equality by Any Means Necessary (BAMN), 572 U.S. ___ (2014). In the 6-2 opinion written by Justice […]

UAW plans to take fight over VW vote to Congress

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union has dropped its appeal of a union vote at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but instead of giving up, the union says it will turn its attention toward Congress. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) had scheduled an April 21 hearing in Chattanooga on the appeal of a […]

The Importance of Training in Instructional Design

“If trainers are asked to be designers, they have to be familiar with adult learning theory in instructional design if they are going to be effective,” Guilkey insists. And the same applies to subject matter experts if the task of designing a training session is assigned to them. “A lot of people being asked to […]

Agency proposes clearinghouse for commercial driver drug tests

by Charles S. Plumb The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed a new rule that would create a database of commercial drivers’ drug test histories, making it easier for employers to find a job candidate’s past drug test results. The comment period is open until April 21. Under the current rules, employers that hire […]

Northwestern’s appeal of football ruling claims NLRB ignored evidence

Northwestern University’s appeal of a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling claims an NLRB regional director ignored evidence that the school’s scholarship football players are students—not employees—and relied too much on the testimony of a single player. On April 9, the private university located in Evanston, Illinois, asked the full NLRB to review and overturn […]

Best Practices in Training: It’s Personal

Training has been a priority for McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., throughout its 150-year history. In fact, the commercial construction company states on its website that “learning is at the core of everything we do.” McCarthy was recently recognized for its training efforts as a Training magazine Top 125 Best Practice Award recipient for the fourth […]

Governor Walker friends Facebook users, bars employers from trolling employees’ accounts

by Saul C. Glazer The question of whether employers can require applicants or current employees to divulge social media passwords has been hotly debated both from a legal and a moral standpoint. On April 8, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed a bill protecting nonpublic social media accounts. This bill, which takes effect April 10, prohibits […]

NLRB to hear stakeholders on ‘quickie’ election rule

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is set to hear opinions on its proposed changes to the rules governing union representation elections during hearings on April 10-11. The meetings can be seen in their entirety at www.nlrb.gov/openmeeting. The hearings will begin at 9:00 a.m. (ET) at the Board’s Washington, D.C., offices. Speakers had to submit […]

Maryland Legislature passes bill to raise minimum wage to $10.10 by July 1, 2018

by David M. Stevens On the final day of its legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill to dramatically raise the state’s minimum wage. The bill, which was supported by Governor Martin O’Malley and is expected to be signed into law, calls for a staggered increase in the minimum wage over a period […]

New executive actions target equal pay for women

President Barack Obama is once again using executive action related to the pay American workers earn. A White House fact sheet says the actions are aimed at fighting pay discrimination and strengthening enforcement of equal pay laws. In one action, Obama signed a presidential memorandum instructing Secretary of Labor Tom Perez to establish new regulations […]