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Compensation & Benefits

State may trump your CBA on family leave.

05/01/2001
Under Oscar Mayer’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA), paid sick leave doesn’t start until at least the fourth day of absence. But Wisconsin’s labor department says that under the state’s family leave …

Don’t let timecard mistake delay prompt payments

05/01/2001

Q. Because of a problem with timecards, we couldn’t tell how much pay we owed some employees. What is our obligation to pay employees if we can’t determine the exact number of hours worked? Is there any penalty for the delayed payment? — I.V., Wisconsin

Administrative staff: Who’s exempt, who’s not?

05/01/2001
Claims representatives at Farmers Insurance Exchange typically worked beyond 40 hours a week. But the company didn’t cough up overtime pay because it said those workers were …

Exemption for computer staff only covers highly skilled

05/01/2001
The Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime exemption for computer professionals is narrower than some employers assume, and high-tech employee groups are spreading the word. To be exempt from overtime pay …

‘Downtime’ pay: When to pay for travel, rest, on-call time

05/01/2001
It’s a deceptively simple concept: You have to pay nonexempt employees for every hour they work. But employers often trip over interpretation of that law when it comes to exceptions such …

Keep pay in line with work performed

05/01/2001

Q. A salaried supervisor was unable to handle the stress of his job and requested a transfer. Six months ago, we moved him to a rank-and-file hourly position, but we left him at the higher salary. I think I’m being unfair to the other co-workers in that position. May I reduce his wages to the hourly rate? —C.T., Iowa

Paying for holiday work can endanger exempt status

05/01/2001

Q. Our company policy says employees who work on holidays are paid time-and-a-half. If an exempt employee works on a holiday, can I pay him time-and-a-half? —R.E., Iowa

Worker causes death, wins compensation

04/01/2001
Leonard Bailey was operating a forklift at a steel company when he accidentally ran over and killed a co-worker. As a result, Bailey was treated for severe depression and tried to …

Big overhaul of overtime and wage law may be coming

04/01/2001
That little old law that employers love to hate may be in for a shake-up, one that you just might enjoy. Political winds seem to be blowing strong enough, and …

Don’t ignore ergonomics

04/01/2001
Don’t forget about ergonomics just because Congress scrapped the Clinton administration’s controversial rules. Repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) can still hurt your bottom line, …