labor lawAdivision of labor law center

With layoffs and wage reductions mounting, many employers are besieged by pleas from help from employees and former employees. It is enough to touch the heart of even the most hard-nosed small business owner. Employer’s resources are strained to the limit, and often Human Resource pros just don’t have any more to offer.

As severance packages shrink, employees are increasingly demanding more from their former employers.

That’s why it is important for Human Resource professionals to know about a new resource they can direct workers to.

The federal government recently expanded GovBenefits, a program to provide information about government assistance and benefit programs.

GovBenefits is available at www.govbenefits.gov. The website is an excellent source on a number of resources for employees including: 

• Expanded unemployment insurance
• Continued health benefits
• COBRA premium reductions
• Federal training programs
• Disaster relief funds
• Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF)
• Food stamps
• Affordable housing
• Career Development 

GovBenefits recently launched a Twitter account to provide continuous updates about government resources available to workers and their families. The tweets will address new site content, and new government benefits programs. (more…)

Effective February 1, 2009 New York employers must give workers more notice of layoffs.

The New York State Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification or WARN Act requires employers to provide 90 days notice to employees who will be laid off. The law applies to employers who are closing a plant, planning a mass layoff or a plant relocation that occurs on or after February 1, 2009. It does not apply to individual layoffs.

New York employers who are planning mass layoffs shortly after February 1, 2009 must act now to provide notice before the new law takes effect. The new law, Chapter 475, Section 25-A  of the New York code,  was passed by the state legislature on August 5, 2008.

According to the New York Department of Labor, the state WARN Act applies to any employer with 50 or more worker, who lays off at least 25 employees.

The law applies to (more…)

With the current economic crisis, many employers are considering giving workers additional unpaid time off during the holidays. This includes giving workers Friday, November 28 (the day after Thanksgiving) and/or Friday, December 26 (the day after Christmas) off without pay.

Other employers are considering closing for an entire week between Christmas and New Years.

However, these tactics raise issues around the payment of exempt salaried employees that every employer needs to be aware of. (more…)

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a grant exceeding $5.2 million to aid displaced airline workers in the 50th state.

Gas prices hit an average of $4.04 nationwide this month. The increase in fuel cost – and a corresponding in food prices – is adversely affecting a number of industries. But airlines are among those hardest hit. Several smaller airlines have gone out of business this year, while even the giants are struggling. United Airlines recently announced plans to layoff more than 1,600 employees. All major airlines are decreasing services to travelers and increasing prices. United and American Airlines recently announced that they will charge travelers $15 to check one bag, and an additional $50 to check a second bag, even on domestic flights. Northwest Airlines recently announced that it will eliminate snacks on all domestic flights. (more…)