Articles
U.S. Department of Labor Announces Updates to its Procedures for Processing H-2B Visas
The Department of Labor (DOL) will change its procedures for processing H-2B applications for labor certification. This change came about after the Office of Foreign Labor Certification’s (OFLC’s) current electronic filing system crashed on Jan 1 due to...
Proposed Overtime Rule Changes Minimum Salary for Exempt Employees
The Department of Labor (DOL) has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would make more than a million more American workers eligible for overtime.Currently, employees with a salary below $455 per week ($23,660 annually) must be paid...
EEO-1 Opening Postponed Until Early March, Deadline Extended to May 31, 2019
Due to the recent partial lapse in appropriations, the opening of the Employer Information Report (EEO-1) has been postponed until early March 2019. The deadline to submit EEO-1 data will be extended to May 31, 2019.Filing the EEO-1 is mandatory for...
OSHA Removes Electronic Submission Requirement for Forms 300 and 301
OSHA published a Final Rule to amend its recordkeeping regulation to remove the requirement to electronically submit to OSHA information from the OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and OSHA Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident...
USCIS Resumes Premium Processing on H-1B Cap Petitions & DHS Announces Final Rule for H-1B
USCIS resumed premium processing on Monday, January 28th, for all fiscal year (FY) 2019 H-1B cap petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption (the “master’s cap”). Petitioners who have received requests for evidence (RFEs) for...
Hotel Dishwasher, Forced to Work Sundays, Awarded $21.5 Million
A jury awarded a Florida hotel dishwasher $21.5 million. The jury decided her employer Hilton Worldwide violated her Title VII rights by repeatedly scheduling her to work on Sundays and then firing her.The dishwasher sued Hilton Worldwide claiming it had...
E-Verify AND E-Verify Services Shut down
E-Verify—the federal electronic employment eligibility verification service will not be available during the partial shutdown of the U.S. government that began Dec. 22, 2018.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the program, announced...
OSHA Clarifies Position on Lawful Post-Incident Drug Testing and Reverses Course on Safety Incentive Programs
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) has issued a Clarification on Workplace Safety Incentive Programs and Post-Incident Drug Testing Under 29 C.F.R. §1904.35(b)(1)(iv).” Prior guidance from OSHA led many employers to believe that they...
Contribution Limit increases on 401(k), HSA, FSA, and IRA for 2019
The IRS announced November 1st the contribution limit for employees who participate in 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans, and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan is increased from $18,500 to $19,000. The "all sources" maximum contribution (employer...
Paid Time Off to Vote
While no federal law provides employees leave to vote, many states have enacted voter-leave laws. Some states guarantee paid time off, others do not. The time guaranteed for employees to vote varies state-by-state as well. Some employers, depending on the...