Labor Law Updates

Keeping you current on the ever changing labor laws

Instead of holding their own vote on a minimum wage ordinance, the San Jose City Council has decided to let voters have the final say. “It should not be 11 people making this decision.  It should be the voters of San Jose,” said Councilwoman Nancy Pyle. By putting the issue on the November 6th ballot, Read more

New York and California do the best job of keeping people safe from accidental injuries, according a report just released by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Foundation. The report analyzed how each state’s policies protect people from accidental injuries.  Thanks to things like stricter seatbelt laws, bike helmet laws, and tougher Read more

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has made a major decision, and as a result, millions of transgender employees are breathing a sigh of relief. Thanks to a recent EEOC ruling, transgender employees are now officially protected from employment discrimination. Specifically, they are protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Read more

If you’re one of America’s small business owners, employees, or customers, this week is for you… SBA and the Obama Administration want to wish you a very happy National Small Business Week! What’s happening this week? National Small Business Week is a public-private partnership that honors small businesses all over the country.  2012 marks the Read more

It’s a case that’s been years in the making, but the California Supreme Court has finally reached a decision in the Brinker Restaurant Corp v. Superior Court case. The big question in the case?  Does an employer have a legal responsibility to make sure that employees take their meal breaks? The answer?  No. The California Read more

It looks like Missouri voters are going to get their say as to whether or not minimum wage workers start earning more money. If passed, the ballot issue would raise Missouri’s minimum wage rate to $8.25 an hour, starting in 2013.  Then, there would be an annual cost-of-living adjustment that would kick in at the Read more

Illinois lawmakers will soon decide whether or not the state’s minimum wage workers deserve a raise, but the issue isn’t as cut and dry as it seems. On the plus side for workers, the proposed law is one in a string of recent minimum wage changes.  In fact, Illinois’ minimum wage rate has been rising Read more

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has made some changes to Form I-9 — the form that all companies have to fill out for new employees, verifying their identity and that they’re authorized to work in the U.S. But instead of just dumping changes on you, USCIS wants to hear from you.  That’s why they’re Read more

The mercury is starting to rise, and, as a result, the U.S. Department of Labor is kicking things into high gear. The Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) just kicked off a summer campaign designed to educate companies and their employees about the dangers of working outside during the hot summer months.  Officials believe Read more

You never want to hear about any worker getting injured on the job, but you definitely don’t want to hear about kids getting hurt! Unfortunately, a teenager in Oregon was injured when he was using a power-driven band saw.  And, sadly, the entire situation never should have happened — since having the teen use the Read more