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Please Click HerePosted on July 14, 2010 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Enforcing non-compete provisions in employment agreements is of the utmost concern to employers when attempting to protect their business from former employees. However, because a non-compete provision is considered a “restrictive covenant,” they are disfavored by the courts and construed in favor of employees. Further, a non-compete provision can only impose a limitation to the […]
Posted on July 5, 2010 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Wisconsin recently adopted a law that will impact many employers in the state, both private and public. The new law, 2009 Wisconsin Act 12, prohibits smoking in most private and public places. The law takes effect on July 5, 2010. Until then, Wisconsin’s current Clean Indoor Air Act will remain in effect, as well as […]
Posted on June 29, 2010 by Mark J. Bradley
A number of bills have been introduced in the U.S. Congress to deal with the estate tax situation that we described in a previous legal update. See “Questions and Answers Concerning Status of Federal Estate Tax”, December 2009. Last week Senator Bernard Sanders introduced yet one more piece of estate tax reform legislation. In what […]
Posted on June 25, 2010 by Ruder Ware Alumni
The Federal Family Medical Leave Act entitles an employee up to 12 weeks of leave for the birth or adoption of a son or daughter, or to care for a son or daughter with a serious health condition. The definition of a “son or daughter” includes not only a biological or adopted child, but also […]
Posted on June 18, 2010 by Ruder Ware Alumni
On Thursday, June 17, 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) did not have authority to issue any decisions during the period January 1, 2008 through March 27, 2010. During that 27- month period, the NLRB operated with only two members. Normally, the NLRB is a five-member board. In […]
Posted on June 7, 2010 by Ruder Ware Alumni
We have had many inquiries with regard to the alert we issued late last week referencing Wisconsin s new smoke-free law titled Wisconsin Goes Smoke Free – Are You Ready?. In light of those inquiries, we are providing a copy of the newly revised statute that was created by 2009 Wisconsin Act 12. The statute […]
Posted on May 24, 2010 by Mary Ellen Schill
The Internal Revenue Service has announced the cost-of-living adjustments for the HSA contribution limits and for High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. As set forth below, for 2011, no adjustments have been made to the 2010 amounts. HSA/HDHP Requirement Cost-of-Living Adjustments Limit on HSA Contributions – Self-only HDHP 2010 – $3,050 2011 […]
Posted on May 21, 2010 by Ruder Ware Alumni
On April 26, 2010, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced a new program to enforce compliance with federal employment laws. The program is one of President Obama’s initiatives. The program, entitled “Plan/Prevent/Protect,” will allow the DOL to leverage its limited resources by shifting the burden of proving compliance to the employer. While this program has […]
Posted on May 14, 2010 by Steven P. Lipowski
For years, the Federal Trade Commission (the FTC) has regulated deceptive advertising under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (the Act). This has included the issuance of non-binding, but very important, guidelines outlining the FTC’s views on the proper use of advertisements containing endorsements and testimonials. On December 1, 2009, these revised […]
Posted on May 11, 2010 by Mary Ellen Schill
Need a reason to start dealing today with the impact of health care reform on your group health plan rather than tomorrow? Are you so overwhelmed that you are looking for some discrete part of the new law to conquer so that you can tell the world that you are doing something to bring your […]