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Please Click HerePosted on December 3, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
In a recent case, Stevenson v. Hyre Electric Co., No. 06-3501 (7th Cir. Oct. 16, 2007), the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (whose jurisdiction encompasses Wisconsin) ruled that an employer may have had “constructive notice” of an employee’s need for leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and should have extended an […]
Posted on November 30, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Production and maintenance employees often need to wear protective equipment, including personal protective equipment, to be protected from injury, illness, and death caused by exposure to workplace hazards. Personal protective equipment includes many different types of protective equipment that an employee uses or wears, such as fall arrest systems, safety-toe shoes, and protective gloves. In […]
Posted on November 16, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
We previously advised you of a proposed federal bill that would have provided 26 weeks of job protected leave to certain caregivers for family members who were injured while on active military duty. This bill was attached to a larger bill that would have reauthorized an expanded children’s health insurance program. President Bush vetoed the […]
Posted on November 12, 2007 by Sara J. Ackermann
On November 7, 2007, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) issued a revised Form I-9 and revised Handbook for Employers regarding completion of this form. Under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), U.S. employers are required to document on Form I-9 that all citizen and non-citizen employees hired after November 6, […]
Posted on October 24, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
A recent decision reached by the Wisconsin Court of Appeals has highlighted the serious risk of permanent and total disability of worker’s compensation awards to older workers and the importance of light duty work. Thomas J. Gutoski, a high school graduate, spent his entire employment life working for one employer, Kohler Company. Over the years […]
Posted on October 2, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
During the discovery period of litigation, one side digs for information from its opponent by asking written questions, submitting requests for documents, and conducting face-to-face interviews (i.e., depositions). Attorneys are bound by ethics and the law to turn over the requested information, even if it is incriminating or harmful to their case. In modern litigation, […]
Posted on September 19, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
It’s a little known fact: employees are terminated every day. Many employers present employees that are about to be terminated with a severance agreement. The severance agreement will usually provide the employee with compensation beyond what the employee would normally be entitled to in return for a release of all claims. By the release of […]
Posted on September 11, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
“No-match” letters are sent to employers by the Social Security Administration when social security numbers submitted for workers do not match the data in the government’s files. The reason may be that workers are undocumented and using fake or “borrowed” social security numbers. However, a misspelled name, an unreported change of surname due to a […]
Posted on September 7, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
The federal EEO-1 report requires employers with 100 or more workers, federal contractors with 50 or more workers and $50,000 or more in federal business, and some financial organizations (e.g., banks), regardless of size, to annually report the racial and ethnic composition of their workforce. The data is used to assess diversity in the American […]
Posted on September 6, 2007 by Ruder Ware Alumni
On August 15, 2007, the Federal Register published the Department of Homeland Security’s final regulation outlining the safe harbor procedures for employers who receive no-match letters (i.e., name of employee/job applicant does not match listed social security number). The rule is effective September 14, 2007. The rule imposes certain safe harbor procedures for employers to […]