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Court of Appeals Supports Handbook Rule Urging, But Not Requiring, Employees to Take Their Complaints Directly to Their Supervisor

Posted on November 16, 2015 by

A recent decision by the D.C. Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals reversed in part the National Labor Relations Board’s order against a private-sector employer regarding its employee handbook employee-complaint provision finding that the handbook rule was lawful and did not implicate employees’ Section 7 rights under the National Labor Relations Act or otherwise prohibit employees […]

NOTICE! – He’s Back! Almost 50 Bills Signed into Law Recently by Governor Walker

Posted on November 16, 2015 by

Last week, Governor Walker signed into law almost fifty new bills, many of which affect local government units, schools, and private employers’ human resource departments. My intent over coming days and weeks is to provide a summary of some of the important new laws. As the title of this blog not so subtly hints, the […]

Court of Appeals Gives Protection to Employee “Like” of Negative Comments

Posted on November 10, 2015 by

A recent decision by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the decision by the National Labor Relations Board that action taken by two employees on a Facebook page should be considered protected speech and therefore the employees should not have been terminated from employment.  In this decision involving the Triple Play Sports Bar […]

Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Regarding Tattoos

Posted on November 6, 2015 by

A recent decision by a federal judge in Chicago has upheld the right of the City of Chicago to require police officers to cover visible tattoos while on duty.  The Chicago Police Department implemented a Department policy that banned the display of tattoos while on duty.  The City said this policy was necessary to insure […]

Dean Dietrich Selected as ATHENA Leadership Award Recipient

Posted on November 4, 2015

We are pleased to announce Dean Dietrich was selected as the Wausau Chamber’s 2015 ATHENA Leadership Award recipient.  The ATHENA Leadership Award® is presented to a woman —or man— who is honored for professional excellence, community service, and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills.  The Chamber explains on […]

When it Comes to Criminal Background Checks, Honesty is the Best Policy (For Employers Too!)

Posted on October 28, 2015 by

Last week I was asked to present, along with a panel of attorneys, to a group of law students. For a group of students facing a tough job market, the most common theme of the discussion related to the hiring process and how these students could maximize their likelihood of landing a job. The panel’s […]

2016 Qualified Plan Cost of Living Increases, 2016 Social Security Taxable Wage Base

Posted on October 21, 2015 by

Well, if you were hoping for a cost of living adjustment in the employee benefits part of your life, you aren’t going to get it from the 2016 qualified plan limits just issued by the IRS.  Here are the new limits.  Same as the old limits as you can see.  According to the IRS, “the […]

2016 Qualified Plan Cost of Living Increases, 2016 Social Security Taxable Wage Base

Posted on October 21, 2015 by

The Internal Revenue Service has announced the cost-of-living adjustments for the various qualified retirement plan limits. All of the limits shown below remain unchanged from last year. Qualified Plan Limit Cost-of-Living Adjustments 401(k) and 403(b) elective deferral limit 2015:  $18,000 2016:  $18,000 $200,000 compensation limit 2015:  $265,000 2016:  $265,000 $160,000 defined benefit limit 2015:  $210,000 […]

2017 Qualified Plan Cost of Living Increases, 2017 Social Security Taxable Wage Base 2

Posted on October 21, 2015 by

2017 Qualified Plan Cost of Living Increases, 2017 Social Security Taxable Wage Base The Internal Revenue Service has announced the cost-of-living adjustments for the various qualified retirement plan limits. Some of the limits shown below remain unchanged from last year, but others have increased. Qualified Plan Limit  Cost-of-Living Adjustments 401(k) and 403(b) elective deferral limit […]

Strength Exam May Cause Discrimination Complaint

Posted on October 20, 2015 by

A recent news article reported that a trucking company has settled an age and sex discrimination charge filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over a strength exam that it used when hiring drivers for its business.  The EEOC claimed that the strength test mandated by the company for truck driver applicants supported a claim […]