We have a favorite new website here at the Stoel Rives World of Employment: Card Checked: The Game (sorry, failblog.org). Card Checked is an online game where you can play a "young and talented tattoo artist living in America where the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) has become the law of the land." As
Proposed Law Would Subsidize Employers’ English Classes
Last week, the proposed Strengthen and Unite Communities with Civics Education and English Skills Act (SUCCESS) was introduced in both the House and Senate during the week of July 20 that supporters say would help immigrants integrate into U.S. society and workplaces and includes tax breaks for businesses offering English literacy programs to their
Recovery of Attorney Fees for the Employer in Oregon Wage and Hour Cases
A recent Oregon Court of Appeals case, Rogers v. RGIS, LLP, presents an opportunity for employers. In Rogers, the court awarded an employer a whopping $180,854.09 in attorney fees. The plaintiff brought one lawsuit but several wage and hour claims (overtime, minimum wage, late payment of final wages, unpaid wages for
Employers Should Keep Using 2/2/09 Version of Form I-9
The current version of Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) published February 2, 2009 has an expiration date of June 30, 2009, but there is no more current version. What’s an employer to do? For now, keep using the February 2 version, says the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Need the most recent Form I-9? Click here
Federal Minimum Wage Rises to $7.25/Hour Today
If you pay your employees minimum wage, prepare to give them a raise effective today: the federal minimum wage increases to $7.25 per hour, effective July 24. Of course, you may live in a state that has a higher minimum wage; in that case, employers are obligated to pay the higher of the two wages.
Washington Wal-Mart Workers Get Their Wish – $35 Million
The Washington state class action by Wal-Mart employees for missed meal and rest breaks and for being forced to work off the clock finally ended this week with a payment to the workers of $35,000,000 and $10,000,000 to their attorneys. Wal-Mart (are you surprised?) denies any wrongdoing. For more on the lawsuit and subsequent settlement
How Employers Can Reduce Litigation Costs
Employment litigation dominates court dockets around the country. And the swing to the left in the political arena is not likely to put a damper on the number of filings. Everyone knows that litigation is expensive. So . . . what can the employer do to reduce its expenses if it finds itself on the receiving end of an administrative charge or a lawsuit?
1. Early Case Assessment
Ask your attorney to provide you with an early comprehensive analysis of the case after he or she has interviewed key witnesses, reviewed key documents and researched legal issues. Doing so will give you important information about whether an early settlement is likely to save you money in the long run and give you a good idea of what you are in for if you don’t settle.Continue Reading How Employers Can Reduce Litigation Costs
Another Circuit Court Agrees: ADA Amendments Act is Not Retroactive
Congress did not intend for the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) to be retroactive, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled yesterday, and applied pre-ADAAA law to dismiss an employment discrimination claim. Click here to read the court’s decision in Lytes v. DC Water and Sewer Authority.
Congress passed the ADAAA in 2008 and the
Oregon Religious Accommodation Bill Becomes Law
Last week Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signed Senate Bill 786, which will require employers to more extensively accommodate employees’ religious practices and observation. The bill passed both the Oregon House and Senate by wide margins earlier this Spring. The new law will take effect January 1, 2010.
Oregon law already prohibits discrimination based on an employee’s religion. Senate
Democrats Delete Card Check from Employee Free Choice Act
According to this article in today’s New York Times, Senate Democrats have dropped the controversial card check provisions from the proposed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).
The card-check provision would have allowed unions to organize employees and begin representing them as soon as a majority of employees signed cards saying they wanted a union. Under