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Wages & Hours

Compressed workweeks: How to handle holidays

07/17/2008
Q. A handful of our employees work four 10-hour days and get Fridays off. The rest work a regular week (five eight-hour days). If a holiday falls on a Friday, should the employees who work the 10-hour days also get Thursday off since they are always off on Fridays? — C.J., Nevada …

Gas prices have employers weighing four-Day-Week schedule

07/14/2008
The city of Cocoa on the Space Coast is one of a growing number of state and local governments considering a four-day workweek to combat rising gas prices …

Consult attorney on union contract—Because every word counts

07/11/2008
If your organization just became a union shop, chances are you will soon be knee-deep in contract negotiations. Before you sit down and begin drafting language you think is reasonable, consider this: From now on, interpretation of workplace rules will probably be out of your hands and will rest with an arbitrator …

Michigan considers four-Day week for state government employees

07/11/2008
Gov. Jennifer Granholm is considering four-day workweeks for some state workers to help cut commuting costs in light of skyrocketing fuel prices. More than a third of state workers already enjoy alternative work schedules …

DOL can pursue visa pay violations even without a complaint

07/09/2008
Here’s a word of warning to employers that hire workers from overseas to fill critical jobs: A federal court has ruled that the DOL can investigate alleged violations of the H-1A visa program’s equal-pay requirements, even if no particular employee has complained. The ruling may mean more employers will find DOL investigators on their doorsteps …

How to regain wages paid after worker falsified timecards

07/08/2008
Q. We recently discovered that one of our employees has been falsifying her timecards. When we confronted her, she admitted it but said that she only began doing this recently. An internal investigation showed that this has been going on for several years. Over the past two years our company overpaid her at least $5,000 as a result of her fraud. She resigned. Her final paycheck, including wages and accrued paid time off, is $1,500. Can we refuse to pay her final paycheck and use that money to offset the $5,000 she owes us? How do we recover the remaining $3,500? …

Union-Free and eager to stay that way

07/07/2008
Q. Our company has operated union-free for many years. How can we best protect ourselves against future union-organizing activities? …

Quick discrimination check: Tally pay by protected status

07/07/2008
If you do a quick assessment of whether your organization may be inadvertently discriminating in pay and there seem to be big differences between the groups, it’s probably time to seriously consider doing a full analysis of your pay structure …
 

Relying on law enforcement exemption? Be prepared to show volunteers meet the test

07/07/2008
Government agencies that employ fewer than five people in fire protection or law enforcement aren’t required to pay those employees overtime. A common problem is that many small public agencies rely on volunteers to perform firefighting and law enforcement duties. If that’s true at your agency, make absolutely sure those “volunteers” meet the volunteer test …

Kroger will pay $16 million in discrimination suit settlement

07/07/2008
he Kroger Company will pay $16 million to settle a race discrimination lawsuit by 12 current and former employees. The lawsuit accused the Cincinnati-based grocery chain of blocking the promotions of black employees and paying them less than whites …