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Posted on August 1, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently issued a decision that will have a dramatic impact upon an employer’s obligation to provide reasonable accommodations for disabled employees. We are providing a detailed analysis of this decision because it will be of vital importance to employers. The facts must be given in detail if there is to […]
Posted on July 26, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
A bill has been introduced in the Wisconsin legislature, Senate Bill 173, which amends Wisconsin’s Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to include Family Military Leave. The Bill entitles an employee who is member of the United States Armed Forces, the National Guard of this state or any other state, or the state defense force […]
Posted on June 22, 2007 by Mary Ellen Schill
The IRS recently announced an expansion of the 403(b) Universal Availability project originally launched in June 2006 which involves sending questionnaires to public school districts throughout the U.S. in an effort to ensure compliance with the universal availability requirement for tax-sheltered annuities. If your school district has a tax-sheltered annuity (403(b) plan), it may receive […]
Posted on June 18, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of an employee’s claim for renewed workers’ compensation temporary total disability benefits (“TTD”) after he was fired for having violated a very important safety rule. The employee, Dennis Race, was an electrician for Emmpack Foods. Race suffered an on-the-job injury to his left hand. Race returned […]
Posted on May 30, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Known as the “Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007,” a new law will amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to raise the federal minimum wage to $5.85 an hour 60 days after enactment, to $6.55 an hour one year later, and then to $7.25 an hour in 2009. This will result in a 41% […]
Posted on May 24, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, whose jurisdiction encompasses Wisconsin, recently issued a decision under the Family and Medical Leave Act of importance for employers. In Burnett v. LFW, Inc., Case No. 06-1013 (12/26/06), a janitor filed a claim against his former employer, the Habitat Company, alleging the employer had violated the federal Family and […]
Posted on May 24, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
For purposes of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), an employee must have been employed by his or her employer for at least 12 months and worked at least 1,250 hours in the last 12-month period to be eligible for FMLA leave. A federal Department of Labor (DOL) regulation (29 C.F.R. 825.110 (a)(1) […]
Posted on April 11, 2007 by Mary Ellen Schill
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) requires certain group health plans to provide enrollees with a notice of privacy practices. The HIPAA Privacy Rule requires health plans remind individuals about this privacy notice no less frequently than every three years. A new notice may be sent to all enrollees, but HIPAA […]
Posted on January 26, 2007 by Sara J. Ackermann
On October 26, 2006, the U.S. Department of Labor issued an opinion letter regarding whether an Information (IT) Support Specialist qualified for exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act. It found the position did not qualify. The Duties of the Position: The employer had described the duties of the position as follows: 55% […]
Posted on December 14, 2006 by Ruder Ware Alumni
The U.S. Department of Labor was expected to issue revised rules under the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) . However, in lieu of doing so, the DOL recently published a request for information on FMLA in the Federal Register. The notice provides a (60) day comment period ending on February 2, 2007. Employers […]