In April, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed into law a comprehensive workers’ compensation reform bill after a nearly yearlong process during which business and labor groups reached a deal that gained unanimous passage in the Legislature. The Substitute for House Bill 2134, which is described as the first significant reform to Kansas workers’ compensation laws Read more
Minimum wage legislation exists for Canadian provinces and territories as included in labor and employment standards. Minimum wage laws stipulate the lowest rate an employer can pay employees who are covered under an Act or Standard and serve an important purpose: the protection of non-unionized workers in unskilled jobs. Minimum wage rate standards can, however, Read more
The Florida Minimum Wage will increase by 6 cents effective June 1, 2011. Florida law requires that the Agency for Workforce Innovation calculate an adjusted minimum wage rate each year. The annual calculation is based on the percentage change in the federal Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers in the South Read more
The Mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, signed an ordinance that soon will prohibit employers from requiring job applicants to disclose their criminal backgrounds until after the first employment interview. Under the new chapter entitled “Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards”, employers are able to perform a background check or request the disclosure of an applicant’s criminal Read more
Three more states, Illinois, Hawaii, and Delaware, have passed new laws that recognize civil unions. These new laws extend all the same legal rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of spouses in a marriage to partners of a civil union. Many of those benefits and protections arise under labor and employment laws. Therefore, Illinois, Hawaii, and Delaware Read more
A controversial legislative bill limiting California employers’ ability to utilize consumer credit reports for relevant employment purposes passed the Assembly on March 22, 2011. The bill, AB 22, prohibits an employer, with the exception of certain financial institutions, from obtaining a consumer credit report for employment purposes unless the information falls under the following: a) Read more
