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Hiring

What documentation do we need to hire minors as seasonal employees?

05/24/2010
Q. We would like to hire several high school students to work in our retail store for the summer. Do we need to take any extra steps in our hiring process if we want to employ minors?

Big insurance provider named ‘model’ of diversity

05/20/2010
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) focuses on hiring and developing employees with disabilities. The organization was singled out by the U.S. Business Leadership Network as one of three businesses in the country that do an exceptional job when it comes to hiring and retaining employees and accommodating their needs at work. So BCBSM is sharing its best practices with other organizations:

Illinois union jobs jump despite poor economy

05/17/2010
According to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois gained 12,000 union jobs last year, and the rate of union membership jumped almost a full percentage point, from 16.6% in 2008 to 17.5% in 2009. Illinois is bucking the nation’s broader union job loss trend. Nationwide, union jobs took a proportionately bigger hit during the economic downturn than nonunion jobs did.

To pay or not to pay interns? The DOL is cracking down

05/17/2010
Two factors have fueled a sharp rise in unpaid internships: Employers’ continuing need to hold down costs and the drop in the number of paying jobs for young people. But before you get too excited about using that free labor source, take note: The DOL and many state labor departments say they are stepping up enforcement and fines against employers that illegally don’t pay their interns.

Use new IRS form to claim HIRE Act tax breaks

05/14/2010
The IRS last month published the forms employers need to claim payroll tax breaks offered under the new HIRE Act. The forms include a new Form W-11 (HIRE Act Employee Affidavit) and a revised Form 941 (Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return).

The HR I.Q. Test: May ’10

05/12/2010
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

New worry: RICO charges for hiring illegals

05/11/2010
The immigration landscape keeps changing, and employers must keep up. And now you also have to worry about employees who claim you hired illegal workers as a way to cut labor costs and therefore put legal workers at a competitive disadvantage. Clever attorneys have begun filing RICO Act lawsuits, alleging that some employers are essentially running “mob” operations.

Sen. Brown sponsors bill to end employee misclassification

05/11/2010
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is joining the U.S. Department of Labor and the IRS in going after employers that improperly classify workers as independent contractors. Brown is tackling the issue from the legislative side, co-sponsoring the Employee Misclassification Prevention Act (EMPA).

How to comply with DOT’s new workplace drug-testing regulations

05/11/2010
The U.S. Department of Transportation has proposed new drug-screening procedures for employees who operate vehicles as part of their work. Some of the covered jobs: airline pilot, train engineer, mechanic and anyone with a commercial driver’s license. Private employers that test other workers should consider adopting the standard.

New York labor union membership fell in 2009

05/11/2010

According to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, New York lost 10,000 union jobs in 2009, but greater contraction in the rest of the state’s economy actually raised the percentage of New Yorkers who belong to a union. Private- and public-sector union jobs in New York fell from 2,029,000 in 2008 to 2,019,000 in 2009.