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Compensation & Benefits

What’s this we heard about a California military family leave law?

05/16/2008

Q. We recently learned that a new law was passed allowing the spouses of military personnel to take unpaid leave. Is this true? …

Burden on employer to justify exempt/Nonexempt classification

05/16/2008
When deciding on whether an employee is exempt or hourly, be prepared to justify why you classified an employee into the category you did. If you have any doubts about classification, seek out professional help. Getting it wrong can get very expensive, especially if you have incorrectly classified an entire group, and a court allows a class- or collective-action claim …

Reality check: TV producers face overtime claims

05/16/2008
Several workers from popular reality television shows have filed wage-and-hour claims with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, according to the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) …

Pyramid Breweries drafts $1.3 million settlement

05/16/2008
Seattle-based Pyramid Breweries has agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle a lawsuit brought by an employee claiming that employees at three Northern California brew pubs were denied meal and rest breaks …

Paying for insurance while on disability

05/15/2008

Q. We have an employee who is currently on short-term disability (STD) and is approaching long-term disability (LTD). Our company pays 95% of medical insurance premiums and 100% of STD and LTD premiums. The employee is no longer receiving a salary. Does our company have to continue to provide and pay for medical insurance? — K.M., Arizona …

Putting employee on FMLA leave: Who decides?

05/15/2008
Q. I’m confused about medical certifications and employees who don’t want to use FMLA leave. Can I, if I believe the employee is out for an FMLA condition, force him to take FMLA leave? — A. B., Florida …

Co-Worker couples: FMLA leave cut in half

05/15/2008
Q. I’ve heard that if both parents work for the same company and they have a child, they’re only allowed to take a combined 12 weeks of FMLA leave. Is that true? — J.S., Pennsylvania

Federal minimum wage takes another 70-Cent jump in July—Rising to $6.55

05/15/2008
On July 24, the federal minimum wage will take the second step in the three-step increase that Congress approved last year. The wage floor will rise from its current $5.85 per hour to $6.55 per hour …

Effort to extend statute of limitation for filing pay-Bias lawsuits fails in Congress

05/15/2008
Federal anti-discrimination law gives employees either 180 or 300 days (depending on the state they live in) from the time of an alleged unlawful practice to file an employment discrimination claim with the EEOC. A bill pushed by Democrats this year would have changed the 180/300 days statute of limitation in pay discrimination cases in a more employee-friendly way …

The HR I.Q. Test: June ’08

05/15/2008
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …