Employee Rights Blog

Mass Layoffs Report - Updated Quarterly

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:12:01 +0000

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that private-sector nonfarm employers conducted 1,077 mass layoffs in the first quarter (January-March) of 2012, causing 182,101 workers to lose their jobs for at least 31 days. First-quarter (Q1) mass layoffs were the fewest since Q1 2006, while manufacturing layoffs and worker job losses declined to their lowest [...]

Child Labor in Summer Jobs

Sun, 06 May 2012 18:50:29 +0000

The time for teenagers to seek summer jobs has arrived. Subsequently, hiring employers, along with job-seeking teenagers and their parents, would be wise to become familiar with the restrictions imposed by federal and state child labor laws. In summary, federal child labor law: Generally sets the minimum legal work age at 14 Limits the work hours that employers [...]

Unemployment Rate - Updated Monthly

Fri, 04 May 2012 21:54:27 +0000

The U.S. unemployment rate edged down to 8.1 percent in April, despite that the economy sluggishly added fewer jobs than economists had expected. Economists had expected at least 165,000 nonfarm jobs in April according to USAToday, but the economy gained only 115,000 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The private sector gained 130,000 [...]

Mass Layoffs Report - Updated Monthly

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:14:48 +0000

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that employers completed 1,273 mass layoffs in March, causing 121,310 newly laid-off workers to file initial claims for unemployment benefits. Mass layoffs decreased from February while initial claims increased. Monthly mass layoffs decreased by 20 and the number of workers who filed initial claims for unemployment benefits increased [...]

Hiring Outlook

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:03:51 +0000

According to the most recent results of an often-cited survey by ManpowerGroup, “Hiring optimism among U.S. employers is gaining momentum”. Manpower conducted over 18,000 interviews with U.S. employers in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the top-100 metropolitan statistical areas regarding their job hiring intentions in Quarter 2 (Q2) 2012. The survey covered [...]

Disaster Unemployment Assistance - Storm, Tornado, Wind, Flood

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 19:08:11 +0000

President Obama recently declared disaster areas in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia because of severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, flooding, mudslides or landslides. Subsequently, employees and self-employed individuals who have lost their jobs or incomes as a direct result of the disasters might be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance. Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is a [...]

Extended Unemployment Benefits 2012

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 01:26:43 +0000

On February 22 President Obama signed a new law that further extends unemployment benefit extensions through the remainder of 2012. Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance on the extensions. According to the DOL, the new law, entitled the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, extends eligibility for the unemployment [...]

Self-Employment Assistance

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:25:34 +0000

Self-Employment Assistance is a special program that helps eligible unemployed workers, including those with disabilities, attempt to become self-employed while collecting state unemployment benefits. Typically, unemployed workers must regularly seek new employee jobs to remain eligible for receiving state unemployment benefits. Under the Self-Employment Assistance program, unemployed workers may instead attempt to become self-employed, such as by [...]

Can I Take Family or Medical Leave for Flu?

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:03:24 +0000

Generally, eligible employees may take job-protected leave from work under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to care for their own illnesses or those of sick family members; but, whether or not the flu is covered under the FMLA depends on its seriousness according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor [...]

Minimum Wage 2012

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 22:51:13 +0000

The eight states listed below increased the hourly minimum wage to the dollar amounts shown, on the effective date of January 1, 2012. Arizona $7.65 Colorado $7.64 Florida $7.67 Montana $7.65 Ohio $7.70 Oregon $8.80 Vermont $8.46 Washington $9.04 Update 2/5: Legislatures in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey and New York are considering raising the minimum wage. On March [...]

Emergency & Extended Unemployment Benefits 2012 Update

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:58:44 +0000

President Obama signed a new law that extends eligibility for the current unemployment benefit extensions explained below, for two more months into 2012. A House-Senate conference committee will negotiate extending the benefits through 2012. Update: The committee has come to an agreement and President Obama has signed the law. See the blog post Extended Unemployment Benefits [...]

Does my employer owe me severance pay?

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:43:38 +0000

Perhaps you’ll be surprised to learn that there is no federal law that specifically requires employers to provide severance pay to employees when employment relationships end. For example, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which is considered to be the “main pay law” because it regulates employment wage and hour matters at the federal level, does [...]

Retirement Age for Social Security

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:47:48 +0000

When President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act of 1935 into law, the retirement age for all U.S. workers was 65 to qualify for full Social Security retirement benefits. That’s no longer the case thanks to Social Security’s financial woes, partly from Americans living longer than ever before past the age of 65. Legislation passed in [...]

Holiday Hiring Myth - Holiday Job Search Myth

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:12:41 +0000

It’s a myth that employers bring hiring to a screeching halt, solely because the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s holidays are approaching. Sadly, job seekers who are desperate for jobs, but believe the myth, stop job searching as the holiday season approaches, a time when they typically need money the most. It’s true that hiring often slows [...]

Holiday Jobs Hiring Forecast

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 21:28:24 +0000

If you’ve been thinking about landing a temporary holiday job to afford Christmas gifts or simply to pay your bills, now is the time to apply. Applicant screening typically starts in October and recent forecasts indicate that retailers might hire up to 627,600 holiday workers in 2011, give or take. This year’s annual holiday hiring forecast [...]

What is Race Discrimination in Employment?

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:28:43 +0000

Race discrimination in employment occurs when an employer, employment agency or union demonstrates prejudice against an employee or job applicant in some aspect of employment, solely on the basis of race or skin color. Subsequently, race discrimination in employment is also referred to as color discrimination; other terms for it include race-based discrimination and racial discrimination. Race [...]

About the Labor Day Holiday

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:20:07 +0000

Labor Day, a U.S. national holiday that honors workers, occurs each year on the first Monday of September. Labor Day 2011 falls on Monday, September 5. According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), exactly who founded the Labor Day holiday is unclear. Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, General Secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters [...]

Hurricane Unemployment Benefits - Updated

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:33:20 +0000

If you lose your job, work hours or self-employment income directly due to Hurricane Irene, then you might be eligible to collect unemployment benefits through a special federal program called Disaster Unemployment Assistance. Editor’s Note: EmployeeIssues.com has updated this post since Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storms Irene and Lee struck the East Coast. See the Updates [...]

What is Wrongful Termination?

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:50:03 +0000

Some employees who have yet to go through the unpleasant experience of involuntary employment termination, falsely assume that every unfair employment discharge amounts to wrongful termination. Wrongful termination is an unfair employment discharge; but, unfortunately for employees, not every unfair employment discharge amounts to wrongful termination, at least not that of the actionable kind. That’s because employment [...]

Tornado Cleanup Jobs

Tue, 10 May 2011 01:30:38 +0000

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced that it had granted millions of dollars to Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee to create temporary disaster recovery jobs, such as tornado cleanup jobs. Update: Employee Rights Blog originally published “Tornado Cleanup Jobs” for the state of Mississippi, and then added Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, [...]