In the State of New York drivers of commercial vehicles that transport goods are covered by the NY Commercial Goods Transportation Industry Fair Play Act. The law, signed on January 10, 2014 by Governor Cuomo, creates a new standard for determining whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor in the trucking industry. As Read more
Employers are the first to recognize the impact social media has in the workplace. Social media websites are increasingly being used by businesses and their employees for both professional and personal purposes. For that reason, employers have a genuine interest in managing how employees’ social media postings affects the business. Employers must also be aware Read more
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration encourages states to develop and operate their own safety and health programs. In fact, OSHA approves and monitors all State Plans. There are 27 state-run programs of which Arizona is one of them. By law, state run plans must be at least as effective as federal OSHA’s which brings Read more
In February, President Obama signed an Executive Order that will raise the hourly minimum wage rate for employees of federal contractors to $10.10 per hour beginning January 1, 2015. After that, the minimum wage will increase each year by a percentage measured by the Consumer Price Index. This month, the President ventured a step further Read more
The Ontario Ministry of Labour has published its enforcement “blitzes” and regional initiatives schedule as part of its Safe at Work Ontario strategy. The Safe at Work strategy aims to protect workers’ health and safety on the job and ensure employers comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). Actually, the strategy also helps Read more
As you probably know, on December 31, 2013 New York’s minimum wage increased to $8.00 per hour. The increase is part of a three step rate hike with additional increases on 12/31/2014 and 12/31/2015. With the recent increase comes enforcement to ensure workers are being paid the correct hourly rate. As a result, Governor Como Read more
Under a new Oklahoma law (OK SB 1023), cities and towns in that state are banned from raising the local minimum wage. The new law also bars localities from requiring employers provide employees a certain number of sick leave or vacation days, either paid or unpaid. The new law is said to protect the state Read more
The minimum wage in Prince Edward Island (PEI) Canada will increase twice in 2014. The first increase takes place on June 1 with an increase to $10.20 per hour. Then the rate increases again on October 1 by 15 cents to $10.35 per hour. Honorable Janice Sherry, the Minister of the Department of Environment, Labour Read more
Internet privacy protection has become a growing concern as it relates to employment and housing, so much so, that states like California, Illinois and Colorado have enacted laws granting a range of protections. So it comes as no surprise that another state has recently enacted legislation on the topic. Wisconsin’s governor signed legislation relating to Read more
Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA) has released an updated “Job Safety and Health Protection on the Job” posting. The posting is formatted to look similar to the familiar, full-color federal OSHA Job Safety and Health Protection on the Job posting. The new format is easy for employees and compliance personnel to identify. Also, Read more
