Employers facing changes in their business or broader economic downturns must find ways to respond and weather the storm. Typically, this means cutting expenses, while maintaining their ability to operate. For many (if not most) businesses, payroll is the single largest expense item. And when business slows, employees are left with excess capacity and are … Continue Reading
Many Washington employers are looking for ways to retain skilled labor until businesses reopen. The Washington Employment Security Department’s (“ESD”) emergency rules may help during the COVID-19 crisis. Employers who plan to rehire employees when businesses reopen may request “standby” status for laid off employees, which has been expanded under the emergency rules. Standby status … Continue Reading
As almost everyone knows, last week President Obama presented a $447 billion jobs bill, called the American Jobs Act, to a joint session of Congress full of proposals designed to stimulate the lagging U.S. economy. What many people probably don’t know is that, tucked into the bill, is a provision that would make it unlawful … Continue Reading
On the final day of the sixty-first Legislature, Idaho lawmakers passed a bill which provides varying levels of tax credits for private employers who hire at least one employee after April 15, 2011. Governor Otter signed the legislation amending Idaho Code section 63-3029F on April 13. In order to qualify for the credit, a newly hired … Continue Reading
President Obama is today expected to sign the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act, which in its final form passed The House of Representatives 217-201 on March 4 and the Senate 68-29 on March 17. Click here to download the final version of the HIRE Act. Key provisions of the HIRE Act include: An exemption … Continue Reading
Yesterday the U.S. Senate voted 70-28 to approve the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act, a $15 billion bill aimed at creating jobs, helping small businesses, and rebuilding public infrastructure. However, the bill does not include a further extension of the current COBRA subsides for unemployed workers, nor does it increase funding for state … Continue Reading
Are you looking for ways to hang on to staff, yet reduce costs? Those goals are not necessarily mutually exclusive if you choose to participate in your state’s workshare program. A workshare program allows your employees to collect some unemployment benefits but continue working part time. Here’s an article from the Center for Law and … Continue Reading
Sine die! The Oregon Legislature’s biennial session has come to a close, providing a perfect opportunity for the Stoel Rives World of Employment to take a look at what passed, what failed, and what flew under the radar. One helpful new statute fixes a problem for employers who operate music venues. In late 2007, Mississippi Studios, a hip … Continue Reading
The Oregon Supreme Court recently ruled that a corporation’s board of directors are not employees, and therefore not subject to Oregon’s unemployment tax. In Necanicum Investment Co. v. Oregon Employment Department, the Supreme Court reversed a 2007 Oregon Court of Appeals decision that had held unemployment tax should be assessed on the fees paid to … Continue Reading
In Excell Construction Inc. v. Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor, the state’s high court provided a detailed analysis of each the factors to be considered in determining whether a worker is covered for tax purposes. The court adopted a list of fifteen factors an employer should consider in making that determination (and that the … Continue Reading
