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Compensation & Benefits

Philadelphia restaurants agree to pay $1M wage settlement

04/02/2019
The owners of two Philadelphia eateries apparently saw the writing on the wall after a trial on wage-theft charges began. They elected to settle the case before a jury had a chance to decide the matter.

Fired harasser can’t collect unemployment

04/02/2019
If you have a robust harassment policy that prohibits even a single incident of unwanted touching, rest assured that a fired harasser won’t be eligible for unemployment benefits.

Found errors in retirement accounts? By all means, go ahead and fix them

04/02/2019
Small employers don’t always get everything right when dealing with the complex rules governing employee retirement accounts. Making an honest mistake and then fixing it generally doesn’t violate the law.

No unemployment comp after bizarre threats

04/02/2019
Workers who are fired for willful misconduct are not eligible for unemployment compensation benefits. Breaking a rule against making threats or committing violence generally meets the requirement of willful misconduct as long as the employee knew or should have known about the rule.

Important questions and answers about the new overtime rule

04/02/2019
Last month’s much-anticipated overhaul of the salary threshold that determines when administrative, executive and professional employees are eligible for overtime pay means employers must now consider potential changes to their compensation plans. Here are some key Q&As from a new DOL fact sheet on the proposed change.

GOP bill would tap Social Security to fund paid parental leave

04/02/2019
Senate Republicans have introduced legislation that would let new parents draw against their future Social Security benefits to provide paid parental leave when they welcome a new baby or adopted child into their homes.

Federal court nixes Trump’s ‘association health plans’

04/02/2019
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled March 28 that a Trump administration effort to facilitate bare-bones health plans was an illegal violation of the Affordable Care Act and ERISA, the law that governs employee benefits.

Paycheck Fairness Act clears House of Representatives

04/02/2019
The House of Representatives has passed the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation first introduced in 1997 that would prohibit employers nationwide from asking job applicants about their past or current pay.

Employers back ACA rule on pre-existing conditions

04/02/2019
Employers of all sizes overwhelmingly support preserving the Affordable Care Act’s mandate for health insurance plans to cover individuals with pre-existing conditions, according to a new survey by the Mercer consulting firm.

New rules tackle rate of pay, joint employment

04/02/2019
Regulators at the Department of Labor have been busy, issuing two new notices of proposed rulemaking in less than a week.