Employment
Apple, Google Workers Head to Court on $415M Poaching Settlement
NEWS
Workers accusing Apple, Google and two other Silicon Valley companies of conspiring to hold down salaries were trying Monday to win approval of a $415 million settlement from a U.S. judge who rejected an earlier deal as too low, Reuters reported.
Social Media Policy Considerations for Employers
On-Demand
Imperative Information Group offers a complimentary on-demand webinar on issues that employers should also consider when deciding how to manage their official social media presence and respond to employees’ social media activities.
Employment Law and Drone Surveillance
White Paper
Kilgore Law has posted an article by Bob Goodman titled “Employment Law and Drone Surveillance, What We Have to Look Forward To, A Work of Fiction.”
Developing a Criminal History Evaluation Tool
On-Demand
Imperative Information Group has posted a free on-demand webinar considering the federal, state, and local issues surrounding employers’ evaluation of candidates’ criminal history information.
Republicans Put the Screws to Labor Board
NEWS
The new Republican majority in the Senate is turning up the pressure on the National Labor Relations Board, with a series of hearings and legislative attacks against policies that make it easier for workers to unionize, reports The Hill.
New Rules Call For Heightened Scrutiny Of Government Contractors’ Pay to Women
NEWS
Draft rules from the U.S. Department of Labor clarify how the government will investigate pay disparities between men and women, according to a report in the Hartford Courant.
Franchise Operators Lobby for Joint-Employer Definition to Remain
NEWS
Franchise NewsA group of franchise business operators launched a coalition to lobby Congress in an ongoing battle to prevent franchisors from being considered “joint employers” with franchisees, reports Nation’s Restaurant News.
Discrimination, Harassment, Retaliation and Other Workplace Cases
EVENT: March 18, 12 p.m. PST
Susan K. Hatmaker of Hatmaker Law Group will present a free webinar discussing Discrimination, Harassment, Retaliation and Other Workplace Cases, Trends and Administrative Enforcement Strategies.
Workers Thrilled, Employers Underwhelmed by Skilled Immigration Changes
NEWS
Waits for work-based permanent residence could become easier — if not any shorter — under recent Obama administration changes overshadowed by more controversial steps for immigrants without legal status, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Contract Principles Apply to Lifetime Contribution-Free Retiree Health Care Question
White Paper
Applying ordinary principles of contract law, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court vacated the Sixth Circuit’s ruling that provisions in expired collective bargaining agreements created a right to lifetime contribution-free health care benefits for retirees, their surviving spouses, and their dependents.
EEOC Treatment of Wellness Incentives Hurts Employers’ Programs, Hearing Witnesses Say
NEWS
Bloomberg BNA’s Pension and Benefits blog reports that employers might begin drawing back on using wellness programs if they don’t get clarifying regulations on the treatment of financial incentives under the ADA from the EEOC.
3 Ways to Maximize HR Technology and Attract Better Talent
NEWS
As human resources has matured into a strategic business function, technology has become its backbone, according to a report at HumanResourcesOnline.net.
Workers’ Compensation: What to Expect in 2015
On-Demand
Marsh USA offers a free on-demand webinar discussing the changes in workers’ compensation in 2014 and what to expect in 2015.
Union Asks Refinery Workers to Strike After Talks Break Down
NEWS
The United Steelworkers Union called for its refinery workers to stage their largest walkout in more 30 years Sunday, saying its negotiations with Shell Oil Co. broke down less than two weeks after they began, the Associated Press reports.
Legal Challenges for Remote I-9s / Immigration and Compliance Trends for 2015
EVENT: Feb. 12, 12 p.m. CST
Equifax Workforce Solutions will present a free webinar about the challenges that come up in managing the Form I-9 process for remote new hires as well as 2015 trends in worksite enforcement.
Daimler Reaches $2.4M Settlement with Ex-Employees After Racial Complaints
NEWS
Portland, Oregon-based Daimler Trucks North America reached a $2.4 million settlement with six former employees who last year filed civil rights complaints alleging violent threats and racism in the workplace, reports The Oregonian.
Workers Compensation and the Oil and Gas Industry
On-Demand
National Council on Compensation Insurance offers a free on-demand webinar exploring the workers compensation implications of the fracking industry, as well as federal and state legislative and regulatory issues
Aligning HR and Business Strategy
On-Demand
SilkRoad has posted a free on-demand webinar offering a look into the strategic practices of more than 300 HR professionals as told by their responses to SilkRoad’s recent Strategic HR Survey.
Ruling May Help Employers Reduce Union Retiree Health Benefits
NEWS
Courts weighing whether union retirees have vested lifetime health-care benefits should apply ordinary contract principles, rather than special inferences or presumptions, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, Bloomberg BNA reports.
