Archive for February, 2009

New FMLA Regs: Holidays, Joint Employers, Pregnancy and More

February 27, 2009 at 11:45 am by: Kentucky Employment Law Letter

In past issues of HR Hero Line, we’ve examined the FMLA regs issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) in November 2008. This week, the attorney editors of the Kentucky Employment Law letter examine a few more changes made by the new FMLA regulations including holidays, joint employers, leave for pregnancy and childbirth, and employer [...]

Beware Misclassifying Workers as Exempt Administrative Employees

February 27, 2009 at 8:58 am by: Indiana Employment Law Letter

As employers know, certain employees aren’t entitled to overtime pay under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The most common exemptions include the executive, administrative, and professional exemptions. Because the administrative exemption is more nebulous than the executive and professional exemptions, employers often misclassify non-exempt workers as exempt administrative [...]

Are Your Policies Compliant with New FMLA Regulations?

February 20, 2009 at 9:16 am by: Texas Employment Law Letter

by Mike Maslanka
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has been revised, and the regulations went into effect in January 2009. Time for a checkup of your company’s policies. Employers need to ask themselves the following questions:

Top Employment Issues for States in 2009: Part 2 – FMLA, Discrimination, Minimum Wage, Safety

February 20, 2009 at 9:07 am by: Employers State Law Alert

Last week, we discussed four employment law issues state legislatures will be grappling with in 2009 — layoff notification laws, immigration, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and it’s state equivalents, and unemployment benefits. This week, we’ll discuss four more – family and medical leave, workplace discrimination, minimum [...]

The Facebook Generation: Social Networking and the Hiring Process

February 13, 2009 at 10:10 am by: West Virginia Employment Law Letter

Imagine that you’re a hiring representative for your employer (in this case, a Burger King restaurant), and you’ve just discovered how to use MySpace. You decide to check the profiles of the employees who work the midnight shift. While perusing one employee’s profile, you notice a link to a video. As [...]

Employers See Dramatic Rise in Pregnancy Discrimination Claims

February 13, 2009 at 9:33 am by: Arizona Employment Law Letter

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) is back in the news as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether AT&T violated the Act by paying reduced pension benefits based on uncredited pregnancy leave taken before enactment of the PDA in 1978. That upcoming decision may influence whether companies have to change their [...]

Top Employment Issues for States in 2009: Part 1 – WARN Acts, Immigration, ADA, and Unemployment Insurance

February 13, 2009 at 9:17 am by: Employers State Law Alert

The nation’s economy and its impact on state budgets will be the overriding factor state legislatures address in 2009. Many states have already attacked their budget shortfalls by delaying projects, implementing hiring freezes, eliminating positions, and cutting programs. With predictions of continued shortfalls in 2009, state budgets will be first on [...]

What Obama’s Economic Stimulus Plan Means for Employers

February 6, 2009 at 12:40 pm by: Benefits Complete Compliance

Update from HR News: Read the latest news proposals to extend the COBRA subsidy
Sandwiched in with all the infrastructure development and green energy provisions of President Barack Obama and the Democrat’s economic stimulus plan are several provisions that affect employee benefits, particularly health benefits.

Obama Signs Executive Orders Affecting Federal Contractors, Unions

February 6, 2009 at 12:34 pm by: Federal Employment Law Insider

by David S. Fortney
At the end of his first full week in office, President Barack Obama took swift action to change employment and labor law. On January 28, he signed the Lilly Lebedetter Fair Pay Act, which relaxes the statute of limitation within which workers can file pay discrimination claims. On [...]

A New Twist on Discrimination in Hiring

February 6, 2009 at 10:26 am by: Utah Employment Law Letter

Here’s the scenario: As the human resources director for your company, you’re asked to sit in on the selection process for your company’s next CEO. After an intense screening process, you have three candidates to be the next leader of your company — a white male in his early 70s, a [...]