Thinking of making some late spring or summer hires? Hirer beware: the current Form I-9 expires on 3/31/2016. The Department of Homeland Security will be issuing the most current version on or before that date (just in time for April Fool’s Day!). Employers can visit https://www.uscis.gov/i-9 to get the most updated information on the new I-9. Until furtherRead More
Resources
Update on Minimum Wage Changes in Maine
Maine’s minimum wage is $7.50 per hour. The federal minimum wage is lower; Maine employers must pay whatever is the higher rate. A citizen-initiated referendum that would increase the state’s minimum wage to $12 per hour by 2020 will be on the ballot this fall. Legislation was recently proposed that would increase the minimum wageRead More
Your Wage and Hour Questions Answered by the DOL Itself
Can I deduct wages from a salaried employee who is on FMLA? Can I avoid overtime if someone is working two different jobs for our company? If not, how do I calculate that? Do I have to pay for travel-to-the-job-site time if the job will involve overnight time? When is the DOL going to doubleRead More
I Wager DOL Will Find Something
Wage and hour issues are not something that your payroll company is handling – those folks handle your payroll and the information you provide. Wages owed is a much more complicated issue, including whether time deducted by the payroll folks for breaks was in fact worked and therefore cannot be deducted to whether an exemptRead More
Lunch Time Trouble and Wage Deductions
According to both federal and state wage and hour laws, employees must be paid for their lunch breaks IF they are not completely relieved from duty. As explained by the federal Department of Labor, an employee is not relieved if he is required to perform any duties, whether active or inactive, while eating. For example,Read More
How Not to Get ICE’d by I-9 Forms
It is past the middle of January, the snow has finally come, and you’re loving the skiing, sledding, and ice fishing. Then, like the rude awakening of a January thaw, you look at your company’s I-9 form and gasp, this pain in my rear form expires in March 2016! This is what you are lookingRead More
IRS Rules LLC’s Can Establish ESOPs
Until now the Service has not approved the use of an ESOP for any entity other than a traditional business corporation. However, the IRS recently ruled in PLR 201538021 that an LLC that has elected to be taxed as an association can establish an ESOP and that unit shares of membership were “employer securities” forRead More
The GINA Not to Ask For or Tell About
It was a strange coincidence – I had just read that the federal EEOC filed a lawsuit against Joy Underground Mining, LLC, for violating federal law when it required applicants to provide family medical history as part of the hiring process. According to the EEOC’s suit, after making conditional employment offers, Joy Mining required applicantsRead More
Bring Your Own Device Policies
“BYOD” “SOS”! HOW EMPLOYERS CAN PROTECT THEMSELVES WHEN WIPING COMPANY DATA FROM A FORMER EMPLOYEE’S CELL PHONE In the last few years, there has been a significant increase in employer policies allowing their employees to bring their own cell phones (or other devices) to work. Coupled with that, there has been a surge of pressRead More
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Inquires About an Employee’s Health
November’s Central Maine Human Resources Association program will tackle the issue of mental illness and addiction in the workplace. The program takes place on November 17, 2015, from 7:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Ramada Inn in Lewiston. This program features the Executive Director of the Maine Human Rights Commission, Amy Sneirson, and membersRead More