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WAGES & HOURS

U.S. Steel miner files suit; says time clock cheating workers

11/12/2008
 

John Zupancich, a miner who works in the Minntac Mine in Mountain Iron, has filed a lawsuit against U.S. Steel, claiming the company’s timecard practices rob workers of as much as two hours of pay each week.

What are the rules regarding owner pay in a startup company?

11/12/2008
  

Q. We are a startup company seeking investors, and we currently have limited cash flow. The company’s founders own the company on a 50/50 basis and are serving as the company’s officers. We can’t afford to pay them, and they are willing to work for free as part of their investment in building the company. Can we do that?

Give all employees a shot at advancement

11/12/2008
 

If some of your managers and supervisors steer career and business opportunities to favored subordinates and keep others from finding out about them, watch out. If those missed opportunities wind up depriving employees of potential financial rewards, that could lead to discrimination lawsuits.

Cutting senior staff to save salary costs? Check impact on older workers

11/10/2008
 

One way to reduce your labor budget is to terminate staff members who are paid the most and replace them with employees who earn less. But be careful before you implement a layoff based on seniority.

Changing employment contract? Get agreement in writing

11/10/2008
 

If some of your employees work under an employment contract that sets salary and other terms, be careful about changing anything. While you may need to cut salaries during tough economic times, doing so without getting a written modification is risky.

Are meal and rest periods mandatory?

11/10/2008
  

Q. We run a manufacturing facility, and our production needs do not always permit our employees to take breaks during the workday. A group of employees have complained that we are required by law to provide rest breaks and a lunch break during their shifts. Are they right?

Is BlackBerry use compensable time?

11/10/2008
  

Q. We provide PDAs to virtually all our employees, some of whom are nonexempt. This enables them to send and respond to e-mails at all hours of the day and night. Does an employee’s time spent on his or her PDA outside of work count as hours worked?

HR must step up as economy takes a tumble

11/10/2008
 

As the impact of the global economic crisis takes hold, a quarter of U.S. employers expect to make layoffs in the next 12 months—if they haven’t already done so. However, most companies are focusing on increased employee communication and smaller cost-saving measures, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm.

Job sharing allows young parents to work half-time at Atlanta firm

11/10/2008
 

Recruiters and account managers can work half-time at Matrix Resources, an IT staffing firm in Atlanta. The organization created job-sharing teams in 2000, allowing two employees to share one job so each can work half-time.

Does education translate into higher pay?

11/10/2008
 

A report by the Keystone Research Center in Harrisburg and the Center for Economic Policy and Research in Washington says workers between ages 18 and 29 earn 10% less than people with comparable jobs earned 30 years ago—even though today’s young workers are better educated.

If you hire illegal workers, better pay them

11/10/2008
 

An employee is an employee, regardless of his or her right to be present in the United States and work here. Thus, even illegal immigrants who were hourly employees can sue for back pay if their employers didn’t pay at least minimum wage and overtime.

Sterling Jewelers faces EEOC class-action discrimination suit

11/10/2008
 

Eight women from the Tampa Bay area have joined an EEOC class-action lawsuit against Sterling Jewelers, owner of Jared, Kay Jewelers and Marks & Morgan stores. The lawsuit alleges that Sterling pays women in retail sales positions less than men and denies them promotions ...

Stop class-action train wrecks! Let local offices set salaries and raises

11/07/2008
 

The worst-case scenario for a large company with operations in many locations: A class-action lawsuit alleging discrimination against an entire class of employees. One way to discourage such massive lawsuits is to let managers at separate locations keep substantial control over setting salaries and raises.

Associated Supermarket execs charged with wage violations

11/07/2008
 

Two Brooklyn grocers have been charged with underpaying workers by more than $300,000 and falsifying business records. Bienvenido Nuñez, president of the Associated Supermarket in Bushwick, and Martin Duran, vice president, allegedly paid no wages to baggers, who worked for tips ...

Class-action suit alleges gender bias at Sterling Jewelers

11/07/2008
 

The EEOC has filed a class-action gender discrimination lawsuit against Sterling Jewelers in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York in Buffalo.

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