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| The House overwhelmingly
approved a plan to give jobless workers an extra three months of unemployment benefits, but the
measure faces an uphill battle in the Senate. With 49 Republicans joining a united Democratic
caucus, the House voted 274 to 137 to approve the measure, which would provide an extra 13 weeks of
unemployment checks to most jobless workers and 26 extra weeks to job seekers in high-unemployment
locations such as Michigan, California, Alaska, Rhode Island and the District. |
| (Source: The Washington Post (free reg. req'd),
2008-06-13) |
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| Health care costs for
employers will increase almost 10 percent next year, double the rate of inflation, on rising
hospital charges and costs for covering the uninsured, a study found. The rate of health-care
spending is expected to be unchanged between 2008 and 2009 after declines in the percentage of
growth over the past five years, according to a report released by research firm
PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP. |
| (Source: Bloomberg, 2008-06-17) |
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| Discussions about flexible
work arrangements are gaining momentum on Capitol Hill, and some say lawmakers may pass a bill on
the matter in the next several months. The reality of an aging workforce along with a confluence of
other factors is just now instigating formal discussions about flexible work arrangements in the
U.S., experts say. |
| (Source: Financial Week, 2008-06-13) |
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| In the wake of the mortgage
crisis, a small but growing number of workers are getting help avoiding or coping with foreclosure
from an unlikely source: their employers. So far, a handful of companies -- from small manufacturers
to large companies like home-financing behemoth Fannie Mae -- are offering assistance, such as
interest-free loans, grants and support in securing rental properties. |
| (Source: The Wall Street Journal (paid reg. req'd), 2008-06-17) |
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| Touting the benefits of losing
weight and eating well only goes so far when your workplace vending machine is crammed with candy
and potato chips. So some companies are taking steps to replace the junk food with something more
wholesome, or at least offer some healthier options. |
| (Source: New York Post, 2008-06-16) |
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| A raid on two busy water parks
and the arrest of nine workers suspected of being illegal immigrants might become the first case to
test Arizona's new employer sanctions law. The law, which went into effect in January, carries
penalties that suspend or revoke business licenses of employers who "knowingly" hire illegal
immigrants. It has yet to result in a prosecution. |
| (Source: The New York Times (free reg. req'd),
2008-06-12) |
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| A woman who was fired from her
job as a receptionist after she refused to get coffee for the men in the office has lost her Title
VII sexual harassment suit now that a federal judge has declared that there's nothing sexist about
requiring workers to serve coffee -- even if those workers are always women. "The act of getting
coffee is not, by itself, a gender-specific act," U.S. District Judge Berle M. Schiller wrote in
Klopfenstein v. National Sales and Supply. |
| (Source: law.com, 2008-06-11) |
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| There's a silent epidemic
plaguing America, but it's one most people don't think about. "More than 37 percent of our work
force is bullied," said Jennifer Starace, client services manager for Business Resource Solutions.
"That's 54 million people in our work force." |
| (Source: al.com, 2008-06-11) |
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| One-third of those surveyed
for the National Sleep Foundation's annual "Sleep in America" poll had fallen asleep or become
sleepy at work in the past month. Recognizing that on-the-job sleepiness can affect the bottom line
-- the Sleep Foundation puts the annual cost at $100 billion in lost productivity, health care costs
and employee absences, among other factors -- companies are coming up with novel ways to boost
employees' energy levels. |
| (Source: CNN.com, 2008-06-10) |
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| Employers long have viewed
instant messaging with a wary eye. But that myth is being dismantled, thanks in part to research
that shows that instant messaging can indeed increase the productivity of workers. |
| (Source: TechNewsWorld, 2008-06-10) |
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| Michael
Tooley |
The duty to reasonably accommodate the religious beliefs of employees has long been one of the
more bedeviling obligations placed on employers by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
A pair of recent decisions by federal courts against employers demonstrate just how challenging this
obligation can be.
Read the entire article about religious
accommodations in the workplace.
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Are You a LLC?
Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) are protected by the exclusive remedy provision of the
Worker's Compensation Act. The company is obligated to provide worker's compensation coverage
for injured employees, but cannot be sued by them. A member or manager of the company is not
covered by the Worker's Compensation Act unless that member or manager is actually engaged in the
company’s business and makes a written election to be covered. This written notice must
be served on the LLCs' insurance carrier and on the Worker's Compensation Board, and the coverage
will not be effective until notice has been received.
Please contact Kathleen Shortridge or Ann
Stewart if you have any worker's comp questions.
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