Employment / Labor Law News Roundup

Monday, April 20, 2015

Ravi, Wahab, Ragesh win Rajya Sabha poll from Kerala

Senior Congress leader Vayalar Ravi, IUML nominee P.V. Abdul Wahab and CPI-M youth leader K.K. Ragesh won the Rajya Sabha elections from Kerala amid speculation of cross voting in the ruling Congress-led UDF. Ravi secured 37 votes, Wahab 36 and Ragesh got 37. The Left opposition had fielded a dummy candidate in K. Rajan, a senior CPI leader, to capitalise on any possible cross voting.

http://ift.tt/1QaueKG

Uber must face lawsuit claiming it snubs blind people

Uber Technologies Inc must defend against a lawsuit accusing the popular ride-sharing service of discriminating against blind people by refusing to transport guide dogs, a federal judge ruled. In a decision late Friday night, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins in San Jose, California, said the plaintiffs could pursue a claim that Uber was a "travel service" subject to potential liability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

http://ift.tt/1OyOLVF

Counting the US Intelligence Community Leakers

It's getting hard to keep track of the US intelligence community leakers without a scorecard. So here's my attempt: Harvard Law School professor Yochai Benkler has written an excellent law review article on the need for a whistleblower defense .

http://ift.tt/1H8yyHQ

Morgan Profits Soar While Advisor Ranks Get Thinner

How Wells Fargo Serves the Ultra-Rich Ultrahigh-net-worth investors can have complex needs. That's why Abbot Downing, Wells Fargo's group serving investors with $50 million or more, has family historians and psychologists on staff.

http://ift.tt/1Qaueum

State Added 4,000 Jobs In March, Labor Department Reports

HARTFORD - Connecticut employers added 4,000 jobs in March, a strong rebound from February, when the state's workforce shrank by thousands, the state Department of Labor said Monday.

http://ift.tt/1P5KaN1

Uber facing U.S. lawsuit claiming it discriminates against blind people

Dick Spotswood: Leadership needed to end Sausalito ferry dock debate

Whether by car, bus or ferry Sausalito is Marin's front door. The town's Chamber of Commerce's old hokey slogan, “That's why they built the bridge,” has a point for those who see tourism as the town's financial base.

http://ift.tt/1P5FqXJ

American Eagle closing distribution center near Pittsburgh

American Eagle Outfitters says it will close a distribution center where 200 people work north of Pittsburgh at the end of July. The company announced two years ago that it planned to close the facility at the Thorn Hill Industrial Park in Warrendale.

http://ift.tt/1Ho52fE

Lawsuit: Long delay in getting VA medical records could be affecting crucial benefits

Seven disabled veterans have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Veterans, claiming they have been waiting for their medical records for 10 months to more than two years, potentially delaying crucial benefits. The suit was filed Monday by the National Veterans Legal Services Program on behalf of the veterans, who come from across the country.

http://ift.tt/1OyAhoV

Unwittingly Asking Illegal Interview Questions

Job seekers aren't the only ones who may say something inappropriate or botch a question during a job interview. A recent survey by CareerBuilder found that approximately 20 percent of hiring managers reported that they have asked an interview question only to find out later that asking the question possibly violated the law.

http://ift.tt/1Ekd8Hc

EEOC Issues Balanced Interpretation of Legality of Employer Wellness Plans

What does this all mean for employers? Let's take a look, via the helpful Q&A the EEOC published. Several months ago, the EEOC announced its intent to issue regulations interpreting whether employer wellness plans are legal or illegal medical exams under the ADA.

http://ift.tt/1bdCRUv

Wellness program incentives? Better than ObamaCare

Federal regulators said last week that employers can continue to use financial penalties and rewards to promote workplace wellness programs. The Associated Press reports that employers are looking for ways to cut expenses associated with things like chronic illnesses, which can be influenced by lifestyle, not just family history.

http://ift.tt/1cQBpIS

Labor Department Proposes Fiduciary Conflict of Interest Rules - Again

On April 14, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor reissued the long-awaited re-proposal of its regulation expanding the definition of "fiduciary" under the Employee Retirement Security Act of 1974, as amended , and prescribing stricter conflict-of-interest rules that will apply to relationships between such fiduciaries and their customers . Along with the proposed regulation, the DOL proposed two related Prohibited Transaction Class Exemptions and amendments to six existing PTCEs that will also apply to relationships between fiduciaries and their retirement plan customers .

http://ift.tt/1cQBpIP

AFOP to Congress: Prohibit Child Labor on U.S. Tobacco Farms

Thursday, April 16, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and U.S. Representative David Cicilline introduced legislation to protect child workers from the dangers of exposure to tobacco plants, which can include acute nicotine poisoning and other long term health effects. The Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs supports the proposed legislation, and calls on Congress to swiftly pass the bills.

http://ift.tt/1F71e2h

Hyundai Supplier Disputes Safety Allegations, Blames Union

Lear Corp. on Friday said allegations of plant employees' exposure to the hazardous chemical TDI are false. The company says air in the plant has been tested by multiple independent parties.

http://ift.tt/1zCbrxy

'People's Platform' To Stir Political Pot

If you're not enjoying your democracy as much as you used to, and you are feeling a little powerless and preyed upon, and you're thinking there's no way out of your mess, help is on the way. You'll have to work for it, but you can do it.

http://ift.tt/1E1n06A

7 Rules You Need to Know in Fiduciary Proposal

Oakland VA whistleblower to appear at House hearing this week

For the longest time, Rustyann Brown felt like no one would listen as she tried to raise the alarm about how the Oakland VA regional benefits office was failing Northern California veterans. She is scheduled to appear on Capitol Hill before a House Committee on Veterans' Affairs hearing that will examine troubling allegations that the Oakland and Philadelphia regional offices have mismanaged benefit claims from vets.

http://ift.tt/1bkFqES

Harrison's York International Recognized By Business Council Of Westchester

Thirty years after it merged two small local insurance companies, York International of Harrison has become one of the leading insurance providers in the country. York will be one of six individuals and companies to be honored on Tuesday, April 21, at The Business Council of Westchester's Hall of Fame Awards at the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle.

http://ift.tt/1O7K5eC

Hillary Made More Per Hour Than The Top 10 US CEOs

There's something wrong when CEOs make 300 times more than the American worker" Clinton said during her first campaign swing last week at an Iowa community collegea [But] Clinton's reported premium speaking fee of $300,000 per speech pales by comparison to the $131.2 million [salary] paid to McKesson CEO John Hammergrena [B]uta a fairer comparison is to look at Clinton and the top 10 CEOs by calculating their total compensation divided by the Department of Labor standard of 2,080 work-hours in a yeara On that basis, the CEOs are pikers compared to an hour of Clinton speaking for $300,000. Hammergren, for example, makes only $63,076 for the same hour of labor.

http://ift.tt/1O7JedR