UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE / SOCIAL SECURITY
| Issues and Answers | ||
| Employer can recoup excess contributions to employee’s HSA | |||
|
| Summary of State Law Changes | ||
|
| |||
|
| Test Your Human Resources Knowledge | ||
|
| Labor Law Journal Submissions | ||
|
| Human Resources Links | ||
|
| Labor Arbitrators' Awards and Biographies | ||
Links within news stories display full text documents including legislation, regulations, court decisions, rulings and government reports.
The first time you click on a link you will be taken to the IRN login page, where you will need to enter your ID and password. Subsequent links will take you directly to the desired document.
Signing up for a 7 day free trial will allow you to click on the links within the news stories and see the full text documents.
On April 8, 2008, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Department of Homeland Security's service and benefits bureau, announced that it received enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally mandated cap for fiscal year 2009. USCIS also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the "advanced degree" exemption. Before running the random selection process, USCIS will complete initial data entry for all filings received during the filing period ending on April 7, 2008. Due to the high number of petitions, USCIS is not yet able to announce the precise day on which it will conduct the random selection process. CCH Human Resources Management Daily Document Update ¶24,745.
The presence of illegal immigrants in the American workforce has resulted in lower wages for low-income African-American workers, witnesses generally agreed at a meeting of the US Commission on Civil Rights on April 4, 2008. But less clear was the extent to which illegal immigrants depress those wages. Some of the issues addressed by the panel included whether the effect is positive, neutral or negative, whether immigration contributes to incarceration rates, whether employers prefer immigrants to native-born workers and the effect of illegal immigration on the broader community. CCH Human Resources Management Daily Document Update ¶24,737.
Unionized African-American workers earned, on average, 12 percent more than their nonunion peers, according to a report released on March 31 by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) in Washington, DC, and the Keystone Research Center in Harrisburg, PA. According to the report, black workers in unions were much more likely to have health-insurance benefits and a pension plan than comparable black workers who were not in unions. CCH Human Resources Management Daily Document Update ¶24,731.
Simple work schedule adjustments might promote health and help shift workers strike a better balance between work and personal life, according to a new review of evidence. Many shift workers have frequently changing schedules. Instead of a permanent night shift, for instance, some workers clock in--or log on--at night for several days and then rotate to afternoons for several days. According to the review, forward-rotating shifts that follow the logical order of the day seem to be less damaging to health and easier on the body. CCH Human Resources Management Daily Document Update ¶24,739.
The number of employers who say they will get more directly involved in managing the individual health of their employees jumped 25 percentage points from last year, reflecting a nationwide trend to find more ways to save money in a tightening economy, according to new research by Hewitt Associates. But while companies believe they need to get more involved in keeping their workforce healthy, employees are less convinced. CCH Human Resources Management Daily Document Update ¶24,734.
The unemployment rate rose from 4.8 to 5.1 percent in March, and nonfarm payroll employment continued to trend down (-80,000), the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday, April 4. Over the past 3 months, payroll employment has declined by 232,000. In March, employment continued to fall in construction, manufacturing, and employment services, while health care, food services, and mining added jobs. Average hourly earnings rose by 5 cents, or 0.3 percent, over the month. CCH Human Resources Management Daily Document Update ¶24,732.
The headlong rush of states into immigration policy may be slowing. In legislative sessions this spring, ambitious proposals in state capitols have been watered down, delayed or outright defeated. State legislators, many frustrated with federal inaction on immigration issues, continue to dive into the debate over whether undocumented immigrants are entitled to driver's licenses, in-state tuition at state universities, public benefits and business licenses. But this year, their actions have been measured or curtailed by their governors or special interest groups, especially compared to recent years, when state lawmakers presented a flurry of new ideas and passed an unprecedented number of immigration-related laws. CCH Human Resources Management Daily Document Update ¶24,728.
A large majority of you, 70 percent, utilize workers who aren’t classified as employees. According to the February online poll results, 47 percent of respondents use “contractors” while 23 percent utilize contractors but worry they might be “employees.” Eleven percent of respondents said they do not use independent contractors, unless you count their temporary employees and 19 percent said they have only true “employees.” There were 253 participants in the February poll.
CCH® is the leading provider of information covering Human Resources, Employment and Labor Benefits, Pensions, Payroll, Safety, and Workers Compensation. For more information about our products and services, go to http://hr.cch.com/ or call 800-449-9525. This newsletter is copyrighted by CCH® and may be redistributed only for non-commercial purposes and only in its entirety, specifically including the CCH® headers, this paragraph and the CCH® copyright line. No other redistribution or re-purposing, including but not limited to use on a web site, intranet or extranet, is permitted without prior written permission of CCH®.
To opt out of this newsletter or to make changes to your email preferences click here.
contactus@wolterskluwerlb.com
©2008, CCH. All Rights Reserved.
