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Archives : 2009 : April
Earned Income Credit, Discrimination and Unemployment Insurance Updated for Louisiana
April 20th, 2009A revised mandatory labor law poster issued by the Louisiana Department of Labor includes new eligibility requirements for employees who wish to sign up for the federal Earned Income Credit (EIC) program.
In addition, the state has updated its mandatory labor law posters that include information about age discrimination, genetic discrimination and unemployment insurance.
The EIC poster has been updated for 2009 with a new income limit (($40,000 or less) for those who are married or single and with or without qualifying children. Earned Income Credits are reductions in federal income tax liability for which employees may be eligible if they meet certain requirements.
Information on the poster has also been updated regarding who is eligible to receive advance Earned Income Credit payments.
The Genetic Discrimination poster has been updated with expanded definitions of “genetic monitoring”, “genetic services”, “genetic test” and “protected genetic information”.
The revised Age Discrimination poster includes a new statement that prohibitions are limited to individuals who are at least 40 years of age.
The Louisiana Unemployment Insurance poster has been revised to include two new reasons for being disqualified from drawing unemployment benefits. Benefits will not be paid if an employee has been discharged for using illegal drugs or receiving wages in lieu of notice.
New Wage Regulations, Updated Child Labor and Discrimination Posters Issued for Tennessee
April 20th, 2009A combined poster that includes new information about Tennessee’s Wage Regulation Act and provisions of its Child Labor Act has been issued by the state’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
In addition, the Tennessee Human Rights Commission has updated its mandatory Discrimination in Employment poster with a revision of discriminatory categories.
The new combined poster including provisions of the Wage Regulation Act states that employees must be informed of the amount of wages they are to be paid.
It also states that payment of wages must occur at least semi-monthly and a notice of regular paydays must be posted. No discrimination is allowed in wage rates between employees based on sex, according to the Wage Regulation Act.
The Child Labor Act section of the poster now covers only Tennessee child labor laws since a summary of the U.S. Department of Labor child labor laws from the previous poster has been removed.
Other changes in the poster include new information in a section called “Duties of Employers” about required recordkeeping and inspections and revisions to the hours that minors are permitted to work.
In the Discrimination in Employment poster, “creed” has been removed as a category for which discrimination is prohibited. The prohibition against discrimination based on “handicap” in the previous poster has been changed to “disability”.
Four Washington Labor Law Posters Updated
April 20th, 2009Four washington labor law posters that cover topics including the state’s minimum wage, workers’ rights on the job, workers’ compensation and job safety and health have been updated.
The Your Rights as a Worker poster combines information from two previous posters – Your Rights as a Non-Agricultural Worker and Your Rights as an Agricultural Worker. It has been rewritten to include new information.
The mandatory poster now includes information about new family leave laws for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking and for spouses of military personnel.
A warning that employers may not fire or retaliate against employees for using leave now applies to the entire family care and family leave section, instead of just the Washington Family Care Act as on the previous poster. Information about teen work hours has been condensed and work hours chart has been removed from the updated poster.
In the mandatory Job Safety and Health poster, the penalty section has been revised and a section on “Fatality or Hospitalization” has been added. A section explaining that it is illegal for employers to retaliate against employees who file complaints has been expanded.
The mandatory Workers’ Compensation poster now includes the term “work-related medical condition”, which was referred to as “injury or occupational disease” on the previous poster. “Doctor” has been changed to “health-care provider” on the updated poster.
In addition, the definition of “qualified health-care providers” has been expanded to include “physician assistants” and “advanced registered nurse practitioners” on the updated Workers’ Compensation poster.
An increase in Washington’s minimum wage from $8.07 per hour to $8.55 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2009 is included in a revised Minimum Wage poster. The minimum wage for workers aged 14 or 15 increased from $6.86 per hour to $7.27 per hour.
The Minimum Wage poster is not required but is recommended to be posted by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.
California Unemployment/Disability/Paid Family Leave Poster Updated
April 20th, 2009The “Notice to Employees” labor law poster that includes provisions for paying unemployment, disability and paid family leave benefits has been updated by the California Employment Development Department.
The mandatory poster includes a new website for filing an unemployment claim on the internet. It also includes new information about filing for unemployment by mail or by fax.
In addition, a website has been added to the poster for obtaining further information about disability insurance or paid family leave.
Wording on the poster has also been changed about employers operating a voluntary plan in place of disability insurance.
Regulation of Employment Workplace Poster Updated
April 20th, 2009The Regulation of Employment workplace poster for Maine has been updated to include a new provision that family medical leave may be taken for the serious illness or death of a sibling who lives with a worker.
The mandatory poster issued by the Maine Department of Labor states that Maine Family Medical Leave may be taken for serious illness or death of a sibling who shares joint living and financial arrangements with a worker.
Maine employees who have worked for the last 12 months at a workplace with 15 or more employees are eligible for up to 10 paid or unpaid weeks of family leave in two years. There are now five reasons listed on the Regulation of Employment poster that allow employees to take family leave.
The revised Regulation of Employment poster also includes changes in contact information, including new telephone numbers for imformation about federal family leave and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. There is also a new street address for the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Standards.
Immigrant Worker Information Added to South Carolina Labor Law Poster
April 17th, 2009An “Immigrant Worker” section has been added to South Carolina’s Labor Law Abstract poster to provide information about verifying the legal status of new employees.
The South Carolina Illegal Immigration and Reform Act requires all employers to verify the legal status of new employees. The law prohibits employment of any worker who is not legally in the United States and authorized to work in this country.
The mandatory poster (previously called the Payment of Wages poster) also includes sections on the state’s Payment of Wages Act, Child Labor and Right-to-Work provisions.
The new Immigrant Worker section states that employers must verify the legal status of new employees either through the federal E-Verify program or by verifying that the employee possesses specified identification.
