2009 Archives

Alerts

• Business Groups File Lawsuit Seeking To Block SB 519, Known As The Employer "Gag Law"

  December 28, 2009LABOR LAW UPDATE: On December 22, 2009, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Associated Oregon Industries filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block Oregon SB 519 from taking effect on January 1, 2010. As we reported in our July 24, 2009 Bullard...
  

• COBRA Premium Benefits Subsidy Extended

  December 22, 2009BENEFITS NOTEBOOK: On December 19, 2009 the Senate approved a provision in a military spending bill that would extend previously enacted health insurance continuation coverage premium subsidies...
  By Thomas I. Kramer
  

• The Employment Provisions Of "Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act" Are Now In Effect

  November 23, 2009"GINA" UPDATE: The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (“GINA”), signed into law by President Bush on May 21, 2008, prohibits discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect to health insurance (Title I) and...
  By Michael G. McClory
  

• Oregon Jury Finds That Employer Must Compensate Workers For Donning And Doffing

  October 15, 2009WAGE AND HOUR UPDATE: On October 1, 2009, a jury in Multnomah County Oregon Circuit Court found Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. liable for failing to compensate workers at a local plant for the time workers spent donning and doffing their uniforms and...
  

• New Laws For 2010 Require Accommodation For Victims Of Domestic Violence, And Hands-Free Cell Phones While Driving

  September 25, 2009OREGON LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: The Oregon legislative session that ended in July resulted in a number of new laws that will affect Oregon employers beginning January 1, 2010. Chances are good that you have already heard about some of these new...
  

• Oregon Now Requires Military Family Leave

  July 28, 2009FAMILY LEAVE UPDATE: On June 25, 2009, the Oregon Military Family Leave Act (“OMFLA”) went into effect, requiring all public, private, and not-for-profit employers of 25 or more employees in Oregon to provide up to 14 days of unpaid leave...
  

• Organized Labor Pushes Its Legislative Agenda

  July 24, 2009LABOR LAW UPDATE: From statehouses to the United States Capitol, organized labor is pushing lawmakers to enact new laws designed to make it easier for unions to organize workers and more difficult for employers to respond to organizing efforts...
  By Jennifer A. Sabovik
  

• Stimulus Bill Revisited – Oregon Continuation Coverage

  April 30, 2009BENEFITS NOTEBOOK: Readers of our February 16 and April 6 eAlerts know that the federal stimulus bill, titled the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (and now known as ARRA), provides a subsidy for continuation coverage in...
  By Thomas I. Kramer
  

• Stimulus Bill Revisited - IRS And DOL Guidance

  April 6, 2009BENEFITS NOTEBOOK: Readers of our February 16, 2009 eAlert know that the stimulus bill, formally titled the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (now known as ARRA), provides a subsidy for continuation coverage in...
  By Thomas I. Kramer
  

• Ninth Circuit Rules San Francisco's "Pay Or Play" Ordinance Not Preempted By ERISA

  March 13, 2009BENEFITS NOTEBOOK: On September 30, 2008, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which decides appeals from federal courts in the nine westernmost states, upheld a San Francisco ordinance that requires certain San Francisc
  By Thomas I. Kramer
  

• Employee Free Choice Act Introduced In Congress

  March 11, 2009LABOR LAW UPDATE: For weeks, Bullard Law has cautioned employers about a potential new federal law designed to facilitate union organizing. Yesterday, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA) introduced...
  By Jacqueline M. Damm & J. Kent Pearson, Jr.
  

• Children's Health Insurance Bill Creates New Special Enrollment Rights Effective APRIL 1, 2009

  March 6, 2009BENEFITS NOTEBOOK: Last month, in the e-mail that transmitted our eAlert about the new continuation coverage rules in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we noted that Congress had recently enacted...
  By Thomas I. Kramer
  

• Labor-Friendly Executive Orders Place New Obligations On Federal Contractors

  February 26, 2009LABOR LAW UPDATE: In his first few weeks in office, President Obama signed four Executive Orders related to labor policies and government contracting. Signaling a new direction in federal labor relations, each of these Executive Orders...
  

• Stimulus Bill Mandates COBRA Changes

  February 17, 2009BENEFITS NOTEBOOK: The stimulus bill, formally titled the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, passed by the House and Senate last week and signed by President Obama today, includes two temporary but...
  By Thomas I. Kramer
  

• USCIS Delays New Form I-9 For 60 Days

  February 11, 2009FORM I-9 UPDATE: On February 3, 2009, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has postponed for 60 days the use of a new Form I-9. The new form, which had been scheduled to be...
  By J. Kent Pearson, Jr.
  

• President Signs Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

  January 29, 2009WAGE AND HOUR UPDATE: On January 29, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. The Act changes the rules for calculating the statute of limitations for claims of discrimination in...
  

• Family Leave Update: New FMLA Regulations Go Into Effect Today – Bullard Family Leave Starter Kit Now Available

  January 16, 2009FAMILY LEAVE UPDATE: On November 17, 2008, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued long-awaited revised regulations interpreting the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The revised...
  By Kathryn M. Hindman
  

• New BOLI Rule Clarifies Meal And Rest Periods

  January 13, 2009WAGE AND HOUR UPDATE: On January 12, 2009 the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) issued a new rule of particular interest to employers and employees for whom a 30-minute meal period is either occasionally...