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Compensation & Benefits

Pittsburgh café to serve up back pay to employees

12/18/2012
The Point Brugge Café, in Pitts­­burgh’s East End, must pay $37,719 to 39 workers that the U.S. Depart­­ment of Labor says were stiffed by an illegal tip-pooling system.

DOL: Horsham steakhouse gauchos got gouged

12/18/2012
The parent company of na’Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse in Horsham will pay $110,369 to 42 workers following a DOL investigation that concluded the restaurant misclassified servers in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Feel free to adjust pay to suit local standards

12/18/2012
Don’t let pay concerns get in the way of a transfer. Feel free to adjust compensation to account for different market rates in different locations. It’s perfectly fine to adjust salaries to suit local standards.

Health plans audited for health care reform compliance

12/18/2012
The health care reform law doesn’t fully kick in for another year. But that hasn’t stopped DOL auditors from scrutinizing group health plans for provisions already in effect, such as the grand­fathering rules and children staying on parents’ plan until they turn age 26.

IRS announces disaster relief for Hurricane Sandy victims

12/17/2012
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the IRS has issued a package of payroll, 401(k) and individual tax relief measures. This relief applies to individuals and businesses located in the disaster area, and to those whose tax records are located in the disaster area.

Tax levies: Large print giveth, small print taketh away

12/14/2012
The aftermath of the Great Recession may very well be read in an increase in the number of tax levies on wages, as employees scrimped on their taxes to pay for other things. The IRS isn’t sympathetic, and that’s bad news for already overworked Payroll departments.

Minimum wage: Steady nationally, rising in 7 states

12/13/2012
The federal minimum wage will remain at $7.25 per hour in 2013, but the minimum wage will rise in at least seven states on Jan. 1.

For unemployment comp purposes, employee quits the day she gives notice

12/12/2012
Workers receiving unemployment benefits are encouraged to take available positions even if it looks like the job may be unsuitable. As incentive, taking the job and then quitting within 30 days won’t bar continued benefits. The date that counts isn’t the last day worked, but the day the worker gave notice.

If you agree to a late return date, extend employees’ reinstatement date, too

12/12/2012
The Minnesota Parental Leave Act provides up to six weeks of leave for childbirth and recovery or adoption. Employees who take leave are entitled to reinstatement. It also includes a provision for extending parental leave, stating that leave “may not exceed six weeks, unless agreed to by the employer.” Until now, it remained up in the air what should happen to the reinstatement right if the employer agreed to a longer leave.

All better? Great! Now, repay 11 years of workers’ comp

12/12/2012
A South Carolina man has been convicted of workers’ compensation fraud for bilking the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation out of $143,203.33.