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Compensation & Benefits

State minimum wage goes up

01/01/2008

California workers who earn the minimum wage will see their pay increase to $8 per hour starting Jan. 1, 2008. California and Massachusetts have the nation’s highest state minimum wages …

Staples settles overtime suit for $38 million

01/01/2008

Staples Inc., the office supply retailer, announced that it will pay $38 million to settle overtime claims brought by California employees. The settlement ended a suit between 1,700 operations and sales managers in California who claimed they were misclassified as exempt executive employees under state law …

FLSA—Not state law—Provides remedy for W&H violations

01/01/2008

Lawyers representing employees in class-action wage-and-hour cases often look for ways to boost the amount of damages they can collect. One of the most common ways to do that: Bring in a host of state laws to set the employer’s punishment. That won’t work any longer in North Carolina and other Mid-Atlantic states. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected the tactic …

Class-Action status granted for disgruntled immigrant workers

01/01/2008

A Mexican woman has been granted permission to serve as the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against a company that recruits and places temporary agricultural workers on farms and other agricultural operations in North Carolina and other states. The woman claims that International Labor Management Corporation purposely placed women in less lucrative temporary visa programs than men …

Must we allow employee smoking breaks?

01/01/2008

Q. We have a number of employees who smoke cigarettes and want to take breaks in order to light up. Is an employee entitled to smoking breaks during the workday? …

Indianapolis company accused of breaking Muslim sharia law

01/01/2008

HDG Mansur, a multinational property company based in Indianapolis, is poised to launch the first global real estate investment fund compliant with Islamic sharia law. But the firm has drawn complaints from a U.S. imam, Indiana clergy and unions …

Aside from normal overtime, is there such a thing as mandatory holiday pay?

01/01/2008

Q. Our business has recently started staying open on certain national holidays, including Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. One of our employees was adamant that he was entitled to “holiday pay” for the time he worked on Thanksgiving, which he maintained was equal to 150% of his normal wage, even though he was not entitled to overtime that week. Do we have to pay a premium wage to employees who work on a federal holiday? …

Work/Afterlife balance? Benefit helps staff plan funerals

01/01/2008

Your organization might offer (or have considered) a concierge service to help employees buy gifts, run errands and plan parties. The newest player in that field can help them plan funerals …

First National Bank makes meals, life easier for employees

01/01/2008

Long hours at work can leave little time to prepare dinner, so First National Bank delivers frozen, home-cooked meals right to their desks …

Free fishing and weight-Loss classes among Acuity’s employee perks

01/01/2008

Fish ponds and Weight Watchers are just two of the benefits Acuity offers its employees. The insurance company’s Sheboygan, WI, headquarters has four ponds on its 115-acre campus, all stocked with bluegill, perch and bass …