Tag: news

California’s minimum wage expected to increase to $10

by Cathleen S. Yonahara On September 12, a bill that would increase California’s minimum wage passed the California Legislature and was sent to Governor Jerry Brown for his signature. Governor Brown has expressed support for the bill, stating, “This legislation is overdue and will help families that are struggling in this harsh economy.” Assembly Bill (AB) […]

New Jersey domestic violence leave law takes effect October 1

Employers in New Jersey with at least 25 employees must provide up to 20 days of unpaid leave to employees affected by domestic violence as of October 1, when the New Jersey Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Act takes effect. Under the law, employers must allow leave to any employee who is a victim of […]

Continuous Learning Continues to Create Opportunities

According to a survey commissioned by Academic Partnerships (AP), human resources (HR) executives agree that advanced academic degrees are important for employees looking to advance in their companies. The advantages of advanced degrees include: Upward mobility (89%), Promotion (86%), and Increases in salary (71%). However, these executives report that only half of their employees hold […]

Indiana AG appeals Lake County judge’s ruling that right-to-work law is unconstitutional

On September 5, Indiana’s right-to-work law was declared unconstitutional by a state trial court judge.  On Thursday, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller filed a notice of appeal in the case. Lake County Superior Court Judge John M. Sedia ruled that the right-to-work law violated the Indiana Constitution by requiring unions to provide services without payment. […]

Maryland law on accommodations for pregnant workers takes effect October 1

by Kevin C. McCormick Maryland’s Reasonable Accommodations for Pregnant Workers Act goes into effect October 1, meaning Maryland employers with 15 or more employees must provide reasonable accommodations to employees who experience a disability because of a pregnancy. Basically, the new law requires employers to treat pregnancies in much the same way disabilities covered by […]

HITECH Act compliance deadline is September 23

by Elizabeth A. Diller and James P. McElligott Jr. Employer-sponsored health plans subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) must be in compliance with the final rule under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) by September 23. […]

How to Make mLearning Work for Workforce Training

“We believe that mobile technology can become an engine of business learning in the same way the World Wide Web became the backbone of learning during the previous technological revolution,” says Alex Heiphetz, PhD., author of “mLearning: A Practical Approach to Mobile Technology for Workforce Training,” a policy paper from The McGraw-Hill Research Foundation. Heiphetz […]

Federal government eases stance on state marijuana laws

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announcement updating the federal marijuana enforcement policy means the federal government won’t sue to keep states from allowing controlled recreational use of marijuana, but the effect on employers isn’t yet clear. The DOJ announced on August 29 that it was revising its policy because of state legislation in Colorado […]

New regulations toughen requirements for federal contractors

Federal contractors soon will have to establish benchmarks for hiring veterans and employing individuals with disabilities as a result of two new rules from the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). The new regulations are expected to be published in the Federal Register within the next couple of weeks, […]

More low-wage worker strikes are set for August 29

Fast-food and other low-wage workers who have staged strikes in a handful of cities around the country in recent months are planning to take their efforts nationwide on August 29. Strikers and their supporters are calling for $15 an hour as well as more protections for workers interested in unionizing. The latest wave of strikes […]