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Austin debate: Penalize employers of illegal immigrants?

04/07/2009

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has issued an opinion letter that says state lawmakers have the authority to enact legislation sanctioning employers that knowingly hire undocumented workers.

In down economy, it’s more important than ever to track every résumé submission

04/07/2009

If you have a fairly informal job application process, now’s the time to firm it up. The prolonged economic downturn means you’re likely to receive more and more applications. And that means more potential for lawsuits from unsuccessful job seekers.

Employers: Start using revised Form I-9 on April 3

04/03/2009

Effective April 3, 2009, employers in the United States are required to use a revised version of the I-9 form. Here are the details, plus a Q&A from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) … 

On race, the customer isn’t always right

04/02/2009

When it comes to whom you employ, pay no attention to your customers’ preferences if they lead you to make illegal decisions. Simply put, employers can’t consider what race or ethnicity their customers or clients would prefer when making hiring decisions. That would be discrimination.

Proposed N.Y. law would stymie credit checks on job applicants

04/02/2009

The New York State Legislature is considering restricting employers’ ability to check job applicants’ credit. Critics of pre-employment credit checks have noted that the economic downturn has forced many people to miss payments, and that the practice may unreasonably rule out large numbers of applicants.

What should we do? Applicant refused to authorize background check

04/02/2009

Q. An applicant, citing reasons of privacy, has refused to sign the written authorization to permit a background check. What can we do?

What are the New York state laws affecting background investigations of applicants?

04/02/2009

Q. We are considering using an investigative agency to verify applicants’ prior employment, education and possible criminal background. Are there any New York laws that are applicable?

To do this week: Confirm new tax withhholding, begin using new I-9s

03/31/2009

HR pros have two important items to add to their to-do lists this week:

  • Ensure that this week’s payroll reflects more generous federal income tax withholding levels mandated by the economic stimulus law enacted in February.
  • Start using the new Form I-9 on Friday, April 3.

TARP provisions force banks to rescind job offers

03/31/2009

Chalk it up to the rule of unanticipated consequences: Banks that took federal bailout money are rescinding job offers to foreign-born MBAs. No, it’s not discrimination based on foreign origin. Rather, it’s one of the strings attached to billions in TARP funds.

Wal-Mart settles drivers’ race bias suit for $17.5 million

03/30/2009

Wal-Mart wasn’t wearing its smiley face when it agreed to pay a class of African-American truck driver applicants $17.5 million in a race discrimination suit. The drivers alleged Wal-Mart failed to hire and promote black drivers in proportion to the number who applied.