Tag: news

Six States Increase Indexed Minimum Wages for 2011

As the new year approaches, a number of states will see index-driven increases to their minimum wage rates. Specifically, Arizona, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington will each add around 10 cents per hour to their existing wage rates, based on an increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of a little more than one […]

NLRB Takes ‘Major Step’ with New Notice Rule

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) took “a major, but not unexpected, step” Tuesday when it announced a new proposed rule that would require employers to notify employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Among other things, employers would have to let employees know that they have the right to “[t]ake […]

NLRB Proposes New Employer Posting Requirements

Today, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that it has submitted a proposed rule to the Federal Register that would require employers to notify employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Under this rule, employers governed by the NLRA would have to post an employee rights notice in the same […]

Wage Theft Prevention Act Increases Duties, Stiffens Penalties for New York Employers

by Traycee Ellen Klein and Erin Carney D’Angelo On Monday, December 13, New York Governor David Patterson signed the Wage Theft Prevention Act (WTPA). According to the governor’s press release, the new law: enacts more stringent and transparent record-keeping and employee notification requirements; increases the amount of wages that can be recovered as damages in […]

Federal Court Rules Health Care Reform Provision Unconstitutional

Yesterday, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia held that the individual health insurance mandate provision found in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the comprehensive health care reform legislation that President Barack Obama signed into law in March 2010, is unconstitutional. The individual mandate would require most individuals to […]

DOL Announces ‘Bridge to Justice’ Attorney Referral System

It may soon be easier for employees to find private legal representation after the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) declines to pursue their Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) or Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) claims. This is thanks to a new collaboration between the WHD and the American Bar […]

Coming Soon: OSHA Vs. New House Majority on Enforcement

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) agenda to increase enforcement, which includes items such as ergonomics, noise standards, and an injury and illness prevention program, seems destined to run into resistance from the new Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. It’s fairly clear that changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Act […]

Good and Bad News in 2011 Compensation Survey Results

There’s good news and bad news to be found in the results of HRHero.com’s 2011 Compensation Survey. The good news is that last year 32 percent of respondents said they were going to have a wage freeze in 2010, but this year only 21 percent say they are planning to have a wage freeze in the […]

Supreme Court Agrees to Review Massive Discrimination Case Against Wal-Mart

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review what has been called the largest employment class action in U.S. history — Wal-Mart Stores v. Dukes. The class of plaintiffs is estimated to include approximately 1.5 million former and current female Wal-Mart employees seeking monetary relief that could amount to billions of dollars in back pay. […]