More news on the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA): last week, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, long considered a critical swing vote for both sides, came out in opposition to EFCA. Click here to read the New York Times’ coverage. Specter’s "no" means that the pro-EFCA senators will fall short of the 60 votes they
Costco, Whole Foods and Starbucks Offer Olive Branch on EFCA
According to the Washington Post, executives from three progressive employers, Costco, Whole Foods and Starbucks, have offered a compromise of sorts on the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). Their proposed compromise would drop the card-check and mandatory arbitration provisions of the act, but give unions greater access to employees and guarantee union elections within a
Model COBRA Subsidy Notices Now Available
The Department of Labor has published four model notices to help employers, plans and individuals comply with the notice requirements of the COBRA subsidy provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Each model notice is designed for a particular group of qualified beneficiaries and contains information to help satisfy ARRA’s notice provisions. Click
Let the Fireworks Begin! EFCA Introduced in Congress
The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which will amend the National Labor Relations Act to make it easier for unions to organize, was introduced in Congress yesterday. Separaste bills were introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Education
Ninth Circuit Declines to Reconsider Ruling on SF Health Care Ordinance
Back in October 2008, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a San Francisco city ordinance that requires many employers to either contribute a specified amount toward their employees’ health care costs on a regular basis or pay into a city health care fund for San Francisco residents. Earlier this week, the Ninth Circuit denied a petition
Changes Coming to the WARN Act?
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification ("WARN") Act is getting a lot of airplay these days; that’s the federal law that requires qualifying employers to give 60 days’ notice of a plant closing, a layoff of 500 or more people at one location, or a cut of at least one-third of the work force at a
Revised IRS Form 941 Provides for COBRA Premium Assistance Credit
Employers: The Internal Revenue Service has issued a new Form 941 (Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return) that provides for any credits due because of the new COBRA Premium Assistance Credit. You can download the new form by clicking on the links below:
The IRS also has put up this
DOL Issues FAQs on COBRA Subsidy
The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration has posted answers to 10 frequently asked questions regarding the COBRA subsidies included in the new stimulus package. Most relate to individual claims for the subsidy, but the information may be helpful to employers as well.
For more information about the subsidy, click here to read our
EEOC Proposes Regulations for Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
Today the EEOC published its proposed regulations on the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). Click here to download the proposed regulations. Interested members of the public have 60 days (or until May 1, 2009) to comment on the new regs.
GINA, passed by Congress last year, prohibits the improper use of genetic information in