Last week I had the opportunity to present at the 2011 Thomas M. Cooley Law Review Symposium’s Who’s Mining Your Business: Privacy Infringement and Profits. The Law Review members, spearheaded by Dayana Echeverry, put together a phenomenal program. It was a great opportunity to share the stage with an incredible panel of Internet
Are Employers Rolling the Dice Under the IRS’s Employee/Independent Contractor Reclassification Program?
The Internal Revenue Service announced on 9/21/2011 that businesses that have improperly labelled their employees as independent contractors will be allowed to reclassify workers and make only a small payment to cover past payroll taxes.
The IRS is calling this program the Voluntary Worker Classification Settlement Program (the “Reclassification Program”). Under the IRS Reclassification Program
Eliminating Mistakes in Sexual Harassment Investigations
Going into last weekend I was overcome with sports euphoria with U of M, the Spartans, and the Lions being undefeated and the Tigers on the verge of winning their Division.
Unfortunately that winning streak did not continue. But success by 3 out of 4 of my Michigan teams wasn’t too bad (thanks Sparty
Employer Obligations When it Comes to Employees and Jury Duty
An unlikely employer recently found out that discharging or otherwise disciplining an employee for complying with jury duty is not only bad publicity but also violates Michigan law.
Specifically, the Detroit Free Press (by Christina Hall) reported that a law firm employee called for jury duty in a murder case pending in Macomb County
Social Media and the NLRB: Two Must Read Reports for Employers and HR Professionals
It is no secret that the NLRB has put employer’s social media policies and employee discipline discharges arising out of social media (a/k/a Facebook Firings) in its cross-hairs.
This fact was recently highlighted in another NLRB Press Release (9/7/11) where an administrative law judge found that a Buffalo nonprofit organization unlawfully discharged five
We’re Hiring But Please Don’t Apply if You’re Unemployed
A proposed Michigan bill, “The Fair Consideration of the Unemployed Act” (PDF) would prohibit discrimination against the unemployed when it comes to job postings. This bill was introduced by State Representative Jim Ananich, D-Flint.
If signed into law employers could face a $5,000 fine for a first violation and a $10,000 for each
The NLRB’s Employer Posting Requirements – Hype, Harmful, or Meh?
I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.
John D. Rockefeller
Adding to Mr. Rockefeller’s belief, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) wants employers to remind their employees that while making