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Wages & Hours

State employee benefits cut

10/27/2008

Gov. Jon Corzine signed into law a new benefits package for state employees that raised the retirement age from 60 to 62 and increased the minimum salary workers must earn before being eligible for pension benefits. Now state government employees must earn at least $7,500 per year to qualify for a pension. The previous minimum was $500.

Pay and benefits concessions keep paper from folding

10/27/2008

Wage freezes and other employee concessions negotiated in October brought New Jersey’s largest newspaper, Newark’s The Star-Ledger, back from the brink of a sale or possible bankruptcy.

Employees may sue for alleged pay promises

10/22/2008

You may not have to pay employees for every task they perform while getting ready to start their shifts. But if those employees can prove you told them they would be paid for that time, you may be liable.

Pa. law allows OT class actions that federal FLSA doesn’t

10/22/2008

Pennsylvania quickly became a go-to state for class-action lawyers after retail giant Wal-Mart lost a big case here last year. Don’t be vulnerable to high-dollar claims—have your attorney review your wage-and-hour rules now to avoid getting slammed by a class-action suit.

Time Off to Vote: State-by-State Voting Leave Laws Explained

10/21/2008

All indicators point to record voter turnout on Election Day, Nov. 4. Chances are, some (if not all) of your employees will want to take part of the day off to cast their ballots. No federal law requires employers to grant voting leave, but most states have laws that do. Here’s a state-by-state rundown of those laws to help you comply.

Government workers squeezed as economy shrinks tax base

10/21/2008

Georgia ended its fiscal year with a $1.6 billion budget shortfall, money it will have to squeeze out of its spending in the coming fiscal year. As a result, state workers in numerous departments and agencies are facing layoffs, pay freezes and reduced hours.

What are the rules on employing minors?

10/21/2008

Q. My son and his friends, all of whom are 11 years old, have asked if they can work for me for the next several months in order to earn money for a camping trip they plan to take during summer break. Can I help out my son and his friends by employing them for a few hours after school several days a week? I know there are child labor laws, but this is a good cause.

OK to pay hourly employees monthly?

10/21/2008

Q. I own a retail store and I have large inventory outlay costs during the first half of the month. To help manage my cash flows, I would like to begin paying my hourly employees at the end of the month. Can I pay them once a month at the end of each month? …

Adult-ed teachers are exempt professionals

10/20/2008

California Labor Code covers wage-and-hour issues and includes some exceptions to the basic requirement that employees must be paid for all time worked. One of those exceptions is the professional exception to Wage Order 4-2001, which allows school districts to pay teachers on a salary basis … Until now, it was unclear whether adult-education teachers could be paid the same way.

Class action could take huge bite out of Apple

10/20/2008

On Aug. 4, a former employee filed a lawsuit against Apple Inc. for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and California law. If the court certifies the case for class-action status, as the employee wants—watch out! This could turn into one of the costliest wage-and-hour suits ever …