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| Barack Obama has said he wants a federal sick-day mandate and expansion of family leave. With Democrats also in control now of legislatures in 27 states, up from 23 before the election, change on this front is likely. |
| (Source: The Wall Street Journal, 2008-11-19) |
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| A last-minute Bush administration plan to grant sweeping new protections to health care providers who oppose abortion and other procedures on religious or moral grounds has provoked a torrent of objections, including a strenuous protest from the government agency that enforces job discrimination laws. The proposed rule would prohibit recipients of federal money from discriminating against doctors, nurses and other health care workers who refuse to perform or to assist in the performance of abortions or sterilization procedures because of their "religious beliefs or moral convictions." |
| (Source: The New York Times (free reg. req'd), 2008-11-17) |
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| Immigrants navigating the labyrinthine federal immigration benefits system usually learn a quick lesson: Better be patient, as it may easily take months or even years before getting a response on their applications. But a long-awaited overhaul of the system is now in the works, and within a few years the application process will be dramatically streamlined -- forms could be approved or rejected the same day they're filed. |
| (Source: San Antonio Express-News, 2008-11-17) |
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| Immigration reform is a top priority of the American Farm Bureau, but it probably won't be a top priority of President Barack Obama's administration or a more-Democratic Congress, a bureau official says. Patrick O'Brien, a senior economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington, D.C., said the Obama administration and Congress have more pressing issues to deal with than immigration reform -- the national and global economic crises, management of the federal economic bailout, wars, health care and education. |
| (Source: Wenatchee World, 2008-11-18) |
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| 'Tis the season (almost) to be jolly, and to shop. But companies may be significantly exposed to costly data breaches and lost productivity if they don't take steps to control employees' online shopping from their work computers. |
| (Source: CFO.com, 2008-11-13) |
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| Employers are scanning the Internet for information on job applicants and even checking up on existing employees. Companies worry about photos showing drug or alcohol abuse, racially offensive comments and revealing clothing -- anything that could damage a company's reputation. |
| (Source: The Charlotte Observer (free reg. req'd), 2008-11-16) |
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| When times are tough, companies find cost savings wherever they can. Now some employers are doing away with the 401(k) match, a benefit once considered almost sacred. |
| (Source: BusinessWeek, 2008-11-12) |
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| Inflated academic credentials in the nation's executive suites may be more common than generally thought. A survey of 358 senior executives and directors at 53 publicly traded companies has turned up at least seven instances of claims that individuals had academic degrees they don't have, though in some cases, the slip-ups don't appear to have been intentional, and may have been caused by misunderstandings. |
| (Source: The Wall Street Journal, 2008-11-13) |
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| Nearly two-thirds of benefit plan sponsors think employer-provided health care should continue to be the primary way individuals receive health insurance, a new survey found. The survey also found that 25 percent of respondents said the current health care system should be replaced with a government-sponsored system, while 20 percent supported a universal health care system with coverage purchased by individuals. |
| (Source: Workforce Management, 2008-11-14) |
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| A chicken processor based in Minnesota has agreed to provide a paid break during the second half of each shift to accommodate the religious beliefs of Muslim employees who wish to pray during the course of the work day. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had filed a lawsuit against St. Cloud-based Gold'n Plump Poultry, Inc., and an employment agency, The Work Connection, which referred workers to it, alleging that both companies violated the religious discrimination prohibition of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. |
| (Source: HR.BLR.com, 2008-11-13) |
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| A jury has found that a preparatory school in Cleveland unlawfully fired an employee in retaliation for voicing concerns about the school's sex-based wage discrimination practices, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. James Whiteman was fired from the Lake Ridge Academy after requesting information from the school about possible pay inequities between males and females with similar credentials. |
| (Source: Occupational Health & Safety, 2008-11-13) |
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| Tami Earnhart |
Paul Sinclair |
Ice Miller Hosting Free Webinar
The final Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations were published in the Federal Register on Monday, November 17, 2008 and will be effective on January 16, 2009. The final regulations contain various structural changes, along with some substantive changes, to the current FMLA regulations.
Read the entire article and register for the webinar on the new FMLA regulations. |
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Employers beware: the Employee Free Choice Act is almost here! This proposed law - known as EFCA - will bring about a profound change in the law and will make it much easier for unions to organize your workforce. It will make smaller employers more likely targets for organization. Now is the time to prepare for this significant change, before it is too late.
Read the entire article on EFCA. |
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Reduce Snow Shoveling Injuries
Believe it or not, it's not too soon to begin thinking about snow removal! We tend to think of snow removal as just another job, but because of the cold and the effort involved, it creates significant risk of injury, especially for employees who are not accustomed to physical work in the cold weather. Employees who are assigned to this task should be physically fit and educated on dressing appropriately with layered waterproof clothing, head coverings, gloves, warm socks and appropriate footwear. Make sure they warm-up by stretching before starting the job, and clear the snow early and often so that it is not packed when they get to work. If snowblowers are used, make sure the employees have been fully trained on the proper operation of the equipment.
Please contact Kathleen Shortridge or Ann Stewart if you have questions on this topic or any other worker's comp issue.
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