Colorado is the latest state to enact a law that prohibits employers from performing a credit history or credit check for hiring or other employment purposes. The Employment Opportunity Act (Senate Bill 18) applies to private sector employers with four or more employees. It prohibits employers from using “consumer credit information” in making employment decisions. Read more
Progress is being made in the fight against employee misclassification, most recently in the District of Columbia. Employee misclassification is the practice of labeling workers as independent contractors, rather than employees. Misclassification is unfair to law-abiding employers that pay unemployment insurance taxes and provide workers’ compensation coverage for their employees. They also face a competitive Read more
The Department of Labor has issued new “self-compliance” tools, complete with checklists, to help employers operating group health plans comply with the new Affordable Care Act (ACA), as well as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The DOL’s approach to ACA implementation is to assist those involved in operating group health plans to Read more
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
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
The US Department of Labor today published a new Final Rule expanding military-related leave protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The Final Rule is effective March 8, 2013. The Final Rule implements two important expansions of FMLA protections. The first expansion provides families of eligible veterans with the same job-protected FMLA leave Read more
Alabama has released multiple labor law notices to meet recent changes in state labor laws. The Alabama Department of Labor requires that employers update state notices to the latest versions. The Alabama Child Labor Law posting has been updated to include: New Record-keeping section requiring employee information forms, proof of age, and detailed time records, Read more
New Jersey has a brand new labor law posting requirement in the works, but it may be a while before we finally get to see it. Recently, New Jersey passed a new Gender Equity law (AB 2647) which requires employers to post and distribute a notice to each worker that details their right to be Read more
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was added to the Department of Labor in order to make sure that U.S. working conditions are as safe as possible. Through training programs, inspections, regulations, and penalties, OSHA can make sure that all of America’s working men and women aren’t put at unnecessary risk when they clock Read more
Beginning this year, all Illinois private and public institutions of higher learning must post a state-mandated sexual harassment poster. If your school hasn’t done so already, there is still time to comply. What is the law? The Illinois Human Rights Act (“Act”) makes it unlawful for teachers, professors, facility members and other employees of colleges Read more
