Employee Relations Insight

Effective July 24, 2009, the federal minimum wage increases to $7.25 per hour. This is the last increase required by the 2007 Minimum Wage Act. Employers of covered employees must post a notice that describes, among other things, employees’ minimum wage rights. A link for posters is available below, under “Resources.” Note that the U.S. [...]

On July 15, 2009, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued updated and comprehensive guidance on the issue of employee waivers of discrimination claims contained in severance agreements. Although the recent guidance is directed to employees, it contains valuable information for management, as well. The document addresses, among other topics, the requirements of the Older [...]

The U.S. Department of Labor today unveiled the FirstStep Recordkeeping, Reporting and Notices e-laws Advisor. By using this tool, employers can determine which recordkeeping, reporting, and notice requirements apply to them under the major laws administered by the federal Labor Department. This new advisory service has been integrated with the revised FirstStep Poster and FirstStep [...]

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act has been amended to add two types of required leaves of absence. The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (“N.D.A.A.”) amends the F.M.L.A. to provide a new 26 week leave to care for a family member who is in the military and is undergoing treatment or is temporarily disabled due to a serious injury or illness. The N.D.A.A. also extends the familiar 12 week leave to care for a family member who has experienced an as-yet-undefined “qualifying exigency.”

A revised Federal minimum wage poster, reflecting the recently enacted minimum wage increases, is now available free of charge on the Department of Labor’s Web site. Every employer of employees subject to the Fair Labor Standard Act’s minimum wage provisions must post a notice explaining the Act in a conspicuous place in all of their [...]

Covered employers are not required to resurvey their workforces pursuant to the revised ethnic and racial categories until the reporting period ending September 30, 2008, one year past the original effective date. Other aspects of the revised EEO-1 procedure continue to take effect with the close of the 2007 reporting period.

The U.S. Department of Labor posts a substantial amount of guidance for employers on its web site. This is the current list of topics on which the Agency provides free compliance information: Drug-Free Workplace Advisor Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Advisor Federal Contractor Compliance Advisor FirstStep Employment Law Advisor FLSA Child Labor Rules Advisor [...]

COBRA, the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, requires that administrators of covered health plans notify their terminated employees of a limited option to continue the group health benefits they had before termination. Substantial liability can be at risk if the employee asserts that he or she never received this “COBRA notice” and the plan [...]