Archive for February, 2012

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued two revised publications addressing veterans with disabilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The revised guides reflect changes to the law stemming from the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, which make it easier for veterans with a wide range of impairments – including those that [...]

The U.S. Supreme Court in April will review a case known as Christopher v. GlaxoSmithKline to determine if pharmaceutical sales representatives are exempt from overtime pay because they are outside salespeople, a category defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 as exempt. In Christopher v. GlaxoSmithKline, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals [...]

The first 20 HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) security audits have been completed by auditing firm KPMG and will be used to fine-tune the remaining audits this year, announced Leon Rodriquez, director of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He also announced that, given [...]

The new Hazard Communication Standard (HCS or HAZCOM) incorporating the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) passed its final hurdle this week when the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) cleared it; it is now expected to be published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) within two weeks. OSHA [...]

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has prevailed in a lawsuit over a company and its policy that required employees returning from absences to supply a doctor's note verifying the health-related reason. The EEOC argued–and the U.S. District Court for Southern California concurred–that seeking such intimate health information could be a violation of the Americans [...]

In a public meeting today at agency headquarters, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) approved its Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2012-2016. The Strategic Plan establishes a framework for achieving the EEOC’s mission to stop and remedy unlawful employment discrimination, so that the nation might soon realize the Commission’s vision of justice and equality [...]

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has announced a 14-day extension of the comment period for its proposed rule to provide minimum wage and overtime protections for nearly 2 million workers who provide in-home care services. Currently, workers classified as "companions" are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA's) minimum [...]

Nancy J. Leppink, deputy administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), and California Secretary of Labor Marty Morgenstern have entered into a memorandum of understanding regarding the improper classification of employees as independent contractors. Leppink and California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su hosted a press teleconference Feb. 9 during which [...]

The Department of Labor's model Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) forms expired on Dec. 31, 2011, due to provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, so they were resubmitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for continued use. The OMB has now granted their continued use through Feb. 28, 2015. No changes have [...]

The Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor (DOL) has published a downloadable document to help women seeking entry into the nontraditional and innovative career paths of the 21st century entitled Why Your Color Is Green: A Woman's Guide to a Sustainable Career. “Many occupations in the clean energy economy remain virtually untapped by women," [...]