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Please Click HerePosted on May 14, 2014 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Are employer-mandated anger-management counseling sessions considered compensable “hours worked” for purposes of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act? What if the employee attends anger-management counseling outside of his or her normal working hours? These questions came up recently during a roundtable meeting of an HR group of which I’m fortunate to be a part. Several […]
Posted on May 14, 2014 by Ruder Ware Alumni
The definition of misconduct under the Wisconsin Unemployment Compensation Law was changed as of the first of the year. We are now starting to see decisions under this new standard that limit employees from receiving unemployment benefits when being terminated from employment due to inappropriate conduct. For many years, an employer was not able to […]
Posted on May 14, 2014 by Ruder Ware Alumni
When an employee requests a leave of absence that may be for an FMLA-qualifying reason, his or her employer is required to provide notice to the employee of eligibility for leave under the FMLA (as most employers are aware, the Department of Labor has created a handy-dandy form to accomplish this purpose WH 381). The […]
Posted on April 11, 2014 by Sara J. Ackermann
On April 8, Gov. Scott Walker signed the Wisconsin Social Media Protection Act. Prudent Wisconsin employers should make sure to understand how this law affects both workplace and recruiting practices. With some exceptions, the Wisconsin Social Media Protection Act prohibits employers from requesting that employees provide passwords for (or any access to) an employee’s personal […]
Posted on January 27, 2014 by Sara J. Ackermann
Today the United States Supreme Court held that time spent “donning and doffing” protective clothing is not compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act. In Sandifer v. United States Steel Corp, Sandifer and other steelworkers filed a putative collective action under the Fair Labor Standards Act (the Act), seeking back pay for time spent donning […]
Posted on October 31, 2013 by Ruder Ware Alumni
The maximum penalty imposed on employers for safety violations in worker’s compensation is $15,000. Seldom does a safety violation case make its way through a hearing before an administrative law judge, to appeal to the Labor and Industry Review commission, to a circuit court appeal, and then finally to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. The […]
Posted on May 7, 2013 by Sara J. Ackermann
On March 8, 2013, the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services division of the Department of Homeland Security released a new I-9 Form. Here is a list of frequently asked questions regarding the new form: When do we need to start using the new form? The USCIS recommends that employers start using the new form immediately. […]
Posted on April 19, 2013 by Mary Ellen Schill
Plan administrators and sponsors of self-insured group health plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) should be aware of a case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on April 16, 2013, US Airways, Inc. v. McCutcheon. The facts that gave rise to the lawsuit are typical. A participant in a self-insured […]
Posted on February 27, 2013 by Sara J. Ackermann
By March 8, 2013, employers covered under the federal Family Medical Leave Act (those with 50 or more employees) must display the Department of Labor’s new version of the Employee Rights and Responsibilities Under the Family and Medical Leave Act poster. Where can I get the new poster? A copy is available via download from […]
Posted on May 16, 2012 by Ruder Ware Alumni
On Monday, May 14, 2012, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia struck down the National Labor Relations Board’s published rule implementing “quickie elections.” As we discussed in January (blog post link), the “quickie election” provisions were designed to make union avoidance a more challenging proposition for private-sector employers. The recent decision […]