All U.S employers are required to verify the identity and employment authorization of all individuals they hire for employment in the United States using Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. This includes citizens and noncitizens. The new Form I-9 has a revision date of 03/08/13 (located in the lower left corner of the form) and an Read more
What is E-Verify? E-Verify is an Internet-based system operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It links to federal databases to help employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. While its usage is largely voluntary, some states have passed laws making it mandatory for certain businesses. Read more
Effective March 1, 2013, all Santa Fe, New Mexico employers are required to pay employees a minimum wage of $10.51 per hour for all hours worked within Santa Fe city limits. This includes full- and part-time and temporary employees. The annual Living Wage increase is required by City Ordinance and corresponds to the increase in Read more
A recent decision by the NRLB should have employers taking a fresh look at their handbooks and workplace policies. In the case, the Board ruled that four (4) work rules maintained by the employer violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). All four rules, found in the employer’s handbook and on its intranet, improperly restricted Read more
Every year, as state and federal legislatures are back in full swing, minimum wage becomes the subject of new legislation and heated debate. Early indications are that 2013 will be no different. This week, in his State of the Union address President Barack Obama called for an increase in the federal minimum wage from $7.25 Read more
Louisiana has just released the annual Earned Income Credit posting update. The 2013 posting provides the new income eligibility limits to claim the EIC tax credit. Income amounts have increased over last year. The revised posting identifies the separate income eligibility limits for employees (individual and married filing jointly) having one, two, or three or Read more
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s latest 4-year Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP) continues to make agency-initiated investigation and litigation of employment policies and practices an enforcement priority. The EEOC’s priorities include: Preventing exclusionary practices in recruiting and hiring, such as discriminatory screening tools, background checks and date-of-birth inquiries, Protecting immigrant, migrant and other vulnerable workers, focusing Read more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced the four (4) winners of its latest app challenge, the “Worker Safety and Health App Challenge”. These new tools demonstrate the importance of recognizing and preventing workplace safety and health hazards. They also help young people understand their rights in the workplace. The winners of the challenge Read more
The Oklahoma Office of Civil Rights Enforcement has updated the state’s Discrimination Law posting. “Genetic information” has been added as a class protected from employment discrimination. This change comes from Oklahoma Senate Bill 837, passed in 2011. The law applies to public and private employers, labor organizations and employment agencies. The law protects employees and Read more
If you’re an employer in Washington State, then you already know it’s important to keep employees informed of their rights and responsibilities at work. All Washington employers are also required to post State workplace posters that are “in good condition” and current. By law, the fines for failure to post any of the State’s required Read more
