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Please Click HerePosted on February 1, 2019 by Ruder Ware Alumni
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has partly pulled back on its controversial requirement that certain employers electronically file injury and illness data with OSHA. Last week, OSHA announced that employers with 250 or more employees no longer need to electronically submit information from their OSHA 300 forms (the Log of Work-Related Injuries and […]
Posted on December 14, 2018 by Mary Ellen Schill
The Internal Revenue Service has announced the optional standard mileage rates for computing the deductible cost of operating an automobile for business, medical, and moving expenses for 2019, and the increased rates reflect the increase in the fixed and variable costs of operating a vehicle. Effective January 1, 2019, the optional standard mileage rates will […]
Posted on November 6, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Three related developments on the OSHA front in October have implications for employers. First, OSHA has walked back its previous interpretation of the anti-retaliation rule it implemented in 2016. That rule prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for or discouraging them from reporting on-the-job injuries and illnesses. OSHA had interpreted the rule, controversially, as prohibiting […]
Posted on November 2, 2018 by Mary Ellen Schill
On November 1, 2018 the Internal Revenue Service announced the cost-of-living adjustments for the various qualified retirement plan limits. The vast majority of the limits shown below have increased from last year. Qualified Plan Limit Cost-of-Living Adjustments 401(k) and 403(b) elective deferral limit 2018-$18,500 2019-$19,000 $200,000 compensation limit 2018-$275,000 2019-$280,000 $160,000 defined benefit limit 2018-$220,000 […]
Posted on July 25, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
There have been a lot of court cases over the years that have acknowledged that attendance at work is a critical (and logical) essential function of someone’s job. A recent decision by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has raised a caution about this conclusion. In its decision, the Court of Appeals reversed a summary […]
Posted on July 25, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Companies have always taken the position that an employee’s use of company e-mail is not private, and can be accessed and reviewed by the company at any time. There have been a large number of court cases, which have held that a company that has issued a policy, stating that private use of company e-mail […]
Posted on July 2, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Several recent federal court decisions have reaffirmed the right of an employer to require an employee to work extra hours or rotating hours of work as a part of the normal duties of a position provided there is legitimate reason for such requirement. In two cases, the federal courts have acknowledged that overtime can be […]
Posted on June 21, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is continuing to expand on its newfound flexibility toward employee handbook rules. The NLRB’s General Counsel, Peter Robb, recently issued a memo defining in greater detail which types of handbook rules are acceptable and which will merit greater scrutiny. Significantly, the memo instructs NLRB regional offices that ambiguities in […]
Posted on June 1, 2018 by Mary Ellen Schill
If it seems like the IRS just announced the 2018 limits, you are not mistaken. Just over a month ago the IRS declared a do over for the 2018 limits, see The IRS Says Never Mind – You Can Have Your Higher HSA Limit! With the arrival of 90 degree temperatures in Wisconsin, it is […]
Posted on May 21, 2018 by Ruder Ware Alumni
We have seen a recent expansion of “Ban the Box Legislation” which prevents employers from asking information about the arrest or conviction record of an applicant for a position. Some legislation prevents employers from conducting criminal background checks on applicants until a final selection has been made and a final candidate is being considered. Wisconsin […]