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Payroll

Can we deduct uniform costs from paychecks?

01/01/2007

Q. We require new employees to buy their top uniform from a uniform company. The uniforms vary depending on the position and have the company’s logo on them. The uniform typically costs between $20 and $45 and is a smock, polo shirt or vest. The employees can deduct that amount from their paychecks or pay for it by personal check or credit card. As the HR manager, I take care of this process for them. Is this procedure legal under Texas law? —D.S.

Pennsylvania wage & hour law: Understand the new rules for 2007

01/01/2007

New wage and hour laws came in with the new year for Pennsylvania employers. Hidden in the new minimum-wage law fine print is a new set of rules governing everything from meal breaks to comp time …

N.J. targeting firms that misclassify independent contractors

01/01/2007

It looks like Gov. Jon Corzine is serious about making sure employers don’t misclassify their employees as independent contractors to avoid paying taxes …

New Class-Action Suits Show Need to Track Hours Closely

01/01/2007

In light of a slew of recent wage-and-hour lawsuits against big companies like Wal-Mart and UPS, now’s a good time to review how you track the hours worked by employees. Reason: Following the Wal-Mart lawsuit lead, clever lawyers now seek out one or two unhappy employees who want to start a class-action case under the Fair Labor Standards Act …

Don’t Forget to Comply With New Minimum-Wage Poster Law

01/01/2007

Effective Jan. 1, 2007, the new minimum wage in Florida is $6.67 per hour. This represents a 27-cent increase from the $6.40 per-hour minimum in 2006 …

How to respond to predicted labor shortage in New York

12/01/2006

The state’s economy keeps humming along. Private-company payrolls increased 1.1 percent statewide in the past year, while New York City payrolls jumped 2.0 percent during the same period …

Be prepared to back up hours worked for exempt staff, too

12/01/2006

You carefully track all hours worked by nonexempt employees. But do you know how many hours your exempt employees work? That can become a problem if you misclassify an employee as exempt when the person should have been hourly …

What’s your responsibility under the new Georgia immigration law?

12/01/2006

The Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act (GSICA), signed into law last April, imposes numerous responsibilities on employers. Although the law focuses primarily on public employers and contractors, some of the less publicized aspects of the law will affect private employers, too …

Paying more for unskilled labor? You’re not alone

12/01/2006

By now, you’ve adjusted your labor budget to accommodate New Jersey’s new minimum wage of $7.15 per hour, which took effect Oct. 1. Rest assured, you’re not alone …

You can be held personally liable for wage payment errors

12/01/2006

If you’re a decision-maker in your organization and exercise that power to withhold wages from an employee, you could find yourself personally liable to that employee if you get it wrong …