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Wages & Hours

Higher pay for LAX hotel workers as ‘Living wage’ law stands

05/16/2008
Hotels near Los Angeles International Airport will have to begin offering higher pay. The California Supreme Court has declined to review an appeals court decision upholding a city ordinance that requires the hotels to pay its workers the city’s living-wage rate …

Pyramid Breweries drafts $1.3 million settlement

05/16/2008
Seattle-based Pyramid Breweries has agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle a lawsuit brought by an employee claiming that employees at three Northern California brew pubs were denied meal and rest breaks …

Federal minimum wage takes another 70-Cent jump in July—Rising to $6.55

05/15/2008
On July 24, the federal minimum wage will take the second step in the three-step increase that Congress approved last year. The wage floor will rise from its current $5.85 per hour to $6.55 per hour …

Effort to extend statute of limitation for filing pay-Bias lawsuits fails in Congress

05/15/2008
Federal anti-discrimination law gives employees either 180 or 300 days (depending on the state they live in) from the time of an alleged unlawful practice to file an employment discrimination claim with the EEOC. A bill pushed by Democrats this year would have changed the 180/300 days statute of limitation in pay discrimination cases in a more employee-friendly way …

The HR I.Q. Test: June ’08

05/15/2008
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

What counts as an ‘FMLA week’: 40 hours?

05/15/2008

Q. How should I calculate the number of hours to charge to an employee’s 12-week FMLA entitlement? We have employees who work 40, 55 and 64 hours per week. Do we give them a 12-week cap or do we extend the weekly amount to cover the amount of weeks it would take to cover 480 hours (which assumes a “standard” 40-hour week)?


Beware reverse sex discrimination when setting schedules and overtime policies

05/14/2008
It isn’t unusual for fathers to have extensive child care responsibilities. Make sure your policies recognize that fact. Don’t succumb to stereotypical thinking. For example, if you waive some work requirements so mothers can pick up their kids from day care, give fathers the same flexibility …

Class action claims Illinois Bell underpays call center staff

05/14/2008
Illinois Bell/AT&T Illinois is the latest target in a national wave of class-action back-wage lawsuits brought on behalf of call center employees. A lawsuit against the phone company says it pays workers only for time when they are logged into the phone system, ignoring time spent working when they are not on the phone …

Resurrection faces state charges after refusing to pay back wages

05/14/2008
After years of dodging an Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) order to pay back wages to its workers, Resurrection Health Care will have to square off with the state attorney general’s office …

Court clears up confusion over meal breaks

05/13/2008
Do you have to provide employees who work eight hours or more during a shift with an unpaid meal break away from all job responsibilities? Or can you continue to pay employees while they eat, expecting them to take calls or respond to work needs? …