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Compensation & Benefits

Miscalculating overtime pay costs San Antonio company almost $150K

10/07/2014
San Antonio-based Costa Solutions has agreed to pay 63 current and former employees $146,459 in back pay and overtime following a DOL investigation. Costa provides logistics and freight-handling services to retail business, including the H-E-B Grocery chain.

DOL’s final rule raises contractor minimum wage to $10.10 per hour

10/07/2014
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a final rule that raises the minimum wage for workers on federal service and construction contracts to $10.10 per hour. The final rule, which applies to federal contracts beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2015, implements a White House executive order announced in February.

Election Day is Nov. 4: Know your state’s voting-leave law

10/03/2014
The midterm election on Nov. 4 won’t draw as many employees away from their desks as a presidential election, but it’s important to know if they must be given leave to vote—and paid for it.

Draft ACA info forms create new headaches for Payroll

10/02/2014
Draft forms recently released by the IRS are designed to implement the Affordable Care Act’s information-reporting requirements. Watch out! Large employers—those with at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalent employees—that don’t offer health insurance must file these forms and provide copies to employees.

October 2014: Employer’s business tax calendar

09/30/2014
This is your monthly guide to critical payroll due dates.

Bank shares employees’ expertise with nonprofits

09/29/2014
Wells Fargo has an international volunteer program that lends employees’ professional expertise to nonprofits in up to 30 countries.

Ad agency rewards tenure with custom-made bobbleheads

09/29/2014
Managers at advertising and PR agency The Lavidge Co. in Phoenix encourage employees to “be creative, work smart, have fun”—words from the firm’s corporate philosophy. One particular perk definitely falls into the “creative” category.

Critical lawyer can’t get unemployment benefits

09/26/2014
A former lawyer in the Delaware County Public Defender’s Office who considered himself a zealous legal advocate has lost his appeal for unemployment compensation in Commonwealth Court.

Contesting unemployment benefits? Choose reason for denial and stick with it

09/26/2014
If you are going to oppose a former employee’s unemployment compensation application, determine what reasons you will present and stick to them. If you offer alternative reasons during the appeal process, chances increase that the court will allow the benefits.

When unpaid ‘gap time’ doesn’t violate FLSA

09/26/2014
With collective-action wage-and-hour claims on the rise, employers worry that they may be burned by unpaid work they didn’t even know employees were performing. But a recent appeals court decision provides a rare piece of good news: As long as employees haven’t worked more than 40 hours in any given workweek, so-called “gap time” between hours paid and hours worked doesn’t always mean liability.