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Compensation & Benefits

FLSA, FMLA enforcement reaches record highs

02/01/2003
If you thought the regulatory watchdogs would become lap dogs under the Bush administration, you were wrong. In fiscal 2002, the U.S. Labor Department collected $143 …

Supreme Court upholds pro-union fund-raising tactic

02/01/2003
In a victory for unions, the Supreme Court recently let stand a lower court ruling that said employees can be forced to pay mandatory dues for union organizing that occurs …

When to Pay for On-Call Time

02/01/2003

Q. When do we have to count “on-call” time as hours worked?—L.G., California

Bush to halt Clinton-era rule opening UI funds for paid leave

01/01/2003
Acting to quiet business’s criticism and protect state unemployment insurance dollars, the U.S. Labor Depart-ment says it plans to repeal a Clinton administration regulation that gives states the option of dipping …

True ‘disability’ limits employees’ life activities, not just job tasks

01/01/2003
After less than a month on the job, Mark Mack was put on leave when an injury prevented him from lifting and kneeling, both of which were required for his job …

Don’t Allow Unlimited Sick Leave

01/01/2003

Q. Our company gives eight hours of sick leave per month to nonexempt employees. We’ve been told that, under the FLSA, exempt employees are to be paid whenever they are sick. So our exempt employees have virtually an unlimited sick-leave balance. Is this a correct way to interpret the FLSA? Should we have some type of sick-leave accrual and tracking for our exempts? —D.H., Kentucky

Reimburse any pre-employment costs that cut into minimum wage.

01/01/2003
Migrant workers at a Florida farm were required to pay expenses out of pocket for securing work visas and traveling to job sites. Because these costs amounted to “pre-employment deductions” from …

Noncash compensation counts toward minimum wage

01/01/2003
You probably don’t have employees living in your workplace, but a recent case illustrates your vulnerability to lawsuits if you keep workers tethered to the job, either physically or by phone, …

Employees can refuse to work due to safety fears, even at nonunion site

01/01/2003
Three apartment maintenance workers refused to scrape and paint a water-damaged ceiling after they saw a TV report on airborne-asbestos health risks. When they voiced a concern, their supervisor said there …

Check benefits compliance; new enforcement on the way

12/01/2002
The IRS and U.S. Labor Department are joining forces to make sure employee benefit plans comply with annual filing requirements under ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act), specifically Form 5500. …