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Compensation & Benefits

Can VESSA and FMLA leave run consecutively?

09/10/2008
Q. May an employee in Illinois take 12 weeks of unpaid time under the Victim Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA) and then take 12 weeks unpaid FMLA leave? …

Employ commercial drivers? They have special protection

09/10/2008
Commercial drivers are protected from retaliation if they refuse to operate their vehicles in violation of U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) safety rules that restrict the number of hours they may drive without resting. Firing or demoting someone for refusing to break those rules may be retaliation …

Governor proposes health care overhaul for state workers

09/09/2008
Gov. Tim Pawlenty recently released a set of proposals designed to make the state’s health care system “market-driven, patient-centered and quality-focused.” Pawlenty said the plan will “lead the nation in the development of portable personal health records and expanded consumer-directed health care spending accounts for state employees.” …

Election Day: Is paid time off required?

09/09/2008
Q. Are we obligated to pay employees for the time they take off to vote? …

Election Day: Mandatory time off to work the polls?

09/09/2008
Q. An employee who has already used all of his PTO for the year recently requested a day off on Nov. 4, 2008, to serve as an election judge. Do we have to give him the day off? …

WMI hit with overtime suit contesting break practices

09/09/2008
A group of current and former drivers and ride-along helpers for Waste Management Inc. (WMI) has filed a lawsuit claiming the company routinely required them to work through breaks without pay to finish their routes on time …

Mortenson Co. sued under FLSA

09/09/2008
David Keef, a former field engineer for M.A. Mortenson Company, a commercial construction firm based in Minneapolis, has filed a lawsuit claiming the company misclassified his position as exempt from overtime …

Under what circumstances must we pay interns?

09/09/2008

Q. My company would like to hire several college students as interns to work on special projects. Because the work has educational value, we are wondering if the internships can be unpaid. Can we do this? …

Accommodation can include FMLA leave to avoid OT

09/08/2008
Sometimes employers must require their employees to work overtime to meet production goals. That can be a problem if one of the workers has a disability that prevents him from working more than 40 hours per week. It’s perfectly legal to require that the employee use accumulated sick time and FMLA leave to avoid those overtime hours …

Staffing firm CEO accused of skimming $182 million in taxes

09/08/2008
Frank Amodeo, head of Mirabilis Ventures in Orlando, has been indicted on 27 counts of conspiracy and fraud for allegedly stealing $182 million in payroll taxes from thousands of businesses across the state …