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Compensation & Benefits

Minimum wage: Brush up on your legal obligations

09/01/2002
THE LAW. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires virtually all employers to pay at least a minimum wage, now $5.15 an hour, to all nonexempt employees. Many states also …

Feelings of exploitation, ‘e-overtime’ lead to rise in wage lawsuits

09/01/2002
Taking work home and working off the clock is causing employees to feel they’re being taken advantage of by their employers. And letting the situation fester is contributing in a big …

Workers’ comp can cover on-the-job fights

08/01/2002
Robert LeeGrand, an African-American brick mason’s assistant, got mad when a co-worker criticized his work and made a racist remark. When LeeGrand confronted him, the co-worker threw bricks, which caused LeeGrand …

Tighter compliance on small firms or more business-friendly DOL?

08/01/2002
It could be some of both. The U.S. Labor Department recently announced it’s creating a new position, a director of compliance assistance who will make sure small businesses comply with regulations. …

Check the fine print on legal-liability insurance

08/01/2002
When a former executive sued his company for defamation, the company turned to its umbrella liability insurance policy to cover the defense cost. But the insurer refused and a federal appeals …

Expect new rules on who’s exempt; possible changes to comp-time law

08/01/2002
The U.S. Labor Department says it will rewrite the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) white-collar exemption rules for administrative, executive, professional and outside salespeople. Reason: Since those rules were drafted, some …

More companies opt for mandatory vacation, but is it legal?

08/01/2002
Continuing a cost-cutting step they took last year, some companies, especially tech firms, are again asking employees to take mandatory vacations. The forced time off, paid or not, is catching …

Payroll records: Fine-tune exempt, nonexempt timekeeping

08/01/2002
THE LAW. Federal wage-and-hour laws don’t require you to have a time clock, but they do require you to have a reliable system to keep track of employees’ hours and pay …

When to Pay for Rest Breaks

08/01/2002

Q. What’s the deal on paying workers for rest breaks? —J.S., California

You’re free to adjust benefit plan without fear of FMLA suit

07/01/2002
When it merged with another bank, Wells Fargo replaced its traditional employee sick- and vacation-leave policy with a paid-time-off (PTO) program and a short-term disability plan. A PTO policy combines annual …