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Wages & Hours

Federal minimum wage goes up—and so should your new posters

07/24/2007

The new federal minimum wage of $5.85 per hour means you need to put up new posters – even if your state’s minimum wage is higher. We’re making it easy to comply. You can download and print official U.S. Labor Department posters – for FREE – directly from the HR Specialist web site.

Pay for holiday when it’s normally an off day?

07/20/2007

Q One of our employees is assigned to work 32 hours per week. His regular off-day is Monday. If a holiday falls on a Monday (such as Labor Day), is the employee entitled to pay for the day?

Federal Overtime Law: 4 Tips For Staying In Compliance

07/19/2007

Lawyers who want to make a quick buck are capitalizing on recent overtime class-actions that have netted millions in unpaid overtime and penalties. In fact, overtime and other unpaid-time lawsuits have become a cottage industry in the 21st century …

Worried about ‘Donning and doffing?’ Relax

07/09/2007

The U.S. Supreme Court created a big fuss last year by ruling that time used to put on or remove some work clothes and safety gear outside actual work hours might be compensable time. Many employers changed the way they calculated pay …

Employees miss meal or rest period? Then you owe extra hour’s pay

07/01/2007

Employees who are entitled to a meal period or a rest period under the California Labor Code and who miss out on those benefits now have up to three years (four in some cases) to claim the additional pay the law says they’re entitled to …

Employees can sue directly for unpaid break and lunch bonus

07/01/2007

Employers have another new worry concerning wages owed to employees who don’t get their full and uninterrupted lunch or break time …

Arbitration covers claims for unpaid bonus and severance

07/01/2007

The California Court of Appeal recently ruled that binding arbitration mandated by an arbitration agreement could determine a former employee’s wage claims for an unpaid profit-sharing bonus and severance pay …

Employees Must File Discrimination Cases Within 180 Days

07/01/2007

Two recent court decisions—one by the U.S. Supreme Court and another by  a Georgia court—mean employers may soon see a spike in lawsuits brought by employees rushing to meet a 180-day deadline for filing discrimination claims.

Altering employee time sheets can mean personal liability

07/01/2007

If you are responsible for approving time sheets or signing off on any alterations of the reported hours worked by employees, be warned. It’s not just your organization that risks a big fine and costly litigation.

Your personal assets are also at risk …

Paying exempt employees for travel time

07/01/2007

Q. We sometimes send exempt employees to conferences. Do we have to pay for travel time? Can we voluntarily pay them extra if the travel time extends into the evening or weekend, or will that destroy their exempt status?