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Angela Gonzalez Selected for Prestigious Paralegal of the Year Award

Posted on May 14, 2015

Ruder Ware is pleased to congratulate Angela Gonzalez on receiving the “Paralegal of the Year” Award from the Paralegal Association of Wisconsin (PAW). At present, there are approximately 3000 paralegals in the state of Wisconsin with over 200 of these paralegals members of PAW.  The “Paralegal of the Year” award is the most prestigious award […]

Jamie Schaefer Elected President of Community Foundation

Posted on May 13, 2015

The Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin (CFONCW) is governed by a 15-member board elected to strategically invest the gifts of their donors, direct disbursements of the Foundation’s assets, and plan for the community’s long-term good.  Ruder Ware’s COO, Jamie Schaefer, was recently elected to serve as president of the board.  CFONCW is a nonprofit […]

IRS Issues Changes to Gas Reimbursement in 2015

Posted on May 13, 2015 by

Attorney Mary Ellen Schill recently authored an update detailing the changes.  2015 Standard Mileage Rates

Seventh Circuit Affirms “Willful” OSHA Violation

Posted on May 12, 2015 by

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a decision that is interesting for its discussion and analysis of what a “willful” OSHA violation means.  A worker for a precast concrete manufacturer fell into a sand bin in which he became engulfed up to his neck.  Fortunately, he survived, but the complicated five hour rescue […]

Employer Waived the Exclusive Remedy Protection of Worker’s Compensation

Posted on May 11, 2015 by

The important protection that employers have under Wisconsin’s Worker’s Compensation Act is the exclusive remedy against employees for work-related accidents, conditions, or illnesses. While the employer enjoys near immunity from a civil suit, that protection can be waived. The Wisconsin Court of Appeals recently held that an employer had waived its exclusive remedy protection through […]

The Wide Expanse of the ADA

Posted on May 8, 2015 by

A recent lawsuit filed in the federal district court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania alleges that an employer violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by terminating an employee who had a doctor-diagnosed sleep disorder. According to the filing, the disorder limits the hours of the day and night during which the employee is […]

NLRB Signals Code Red at Big Blue: Concludes Walmart’s Dress Code Violates NLRA

Posted on May 6, 2015 by

As I’ve written in the past, the National Labor Relations Act applies to non-union employers too. I’ve wanted to write about the National Labor Relations Board’s recent “dress code” decision for several days now—however, with the Board’s firestorm of significant decisions [email access, here: National Labor Relations Board is “Not-So-Secret” Santa to Organized Labor – […]

Are Employers Receiving A Special Christmas Gift This Year?

Posted on May 6, 2015 by

Some commentators have suggested that the recent Republican vote will limit the activity of the National Labor Relations Board and avoid the potential for more activist activity from the Board. It is not clear, however, how the House and Senate can effectively limit the activism that has been predicted absent drastic legislative changes. As Christmas […]

Holiday Party – Celebration?

Posted on May 6, 2015 by

Everyone is thinking about the holiday season. Many human resource professionals are wondering whether or not the company should sponsor a holiday party and what limits should be applied to such an event. The best answer is to be reasonable and to be more concerned about the safety of employees because of a potential disaster […]

NLRB Attacks Independent Contractor Status

Posted on May 6, 2015 by

A recent decision by the National Labor Relations Board has attacked the test that is generally used to determine whether or not an individual is an independent contractor or is considered an employee eligible for voting to be represented by a union. In the recent decision of FEDEX Home Delivery, 361NLRB No. 55 (2014), the […]