2018 Archives

Alerts

• Ninth Circuit: salary history is no longer a valid defense to Equal Pay Act claims

  April 19, 2018By Benjamin P. O'Glasser & Kalia J. Walker  The Ninth Circuit has issued a significant decision regarding the federal Equal Pay Act (“EPA”) that should prompt employers to reassess their compensation policies. In Rizo v...
  

• SB 1566: Reducing Oregon PERS Liabilities with the Employer Incentive Fund

  April 16, 2018The Oregon Legislature and Governor Kate Brown are banking on increased state income tax revenues (due to recent changes in the Internal Revenue Code) to incentivize PERS participating public employers to contribute to PERS. Under SB 1566, signed ...
  By Jason W. Douthit
  

• Proposed Regulations Intended to Reduce Employer Healthcare Costs

  April 12, 2018The Department of Labor (DOL) recently proposed a new regulation that could make Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements (MEWAs) an attractive option for reducing employer costs and time spent on providing health insurance for employees. A MEWA is ...
  By Jason W. Douthit
  

• Reminder of Upcoming Deadlines

  February 28, 2018As a reminder, the following deadlines are fast approaching:   Washington State Paid Sick Leave Notices due March 1, 2018. Washington’s paid sick leave law went into effect January 1, 2018. Current employees employed before January...
  By Liani J. Reeves
  

• Tax Cuts & Jobs Act Impacts Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation

  February 16, 2018By now, you have probably heard about the recent changes to tax rates for individuals and businesses, the personal exemption, and the cap on deductions for state, local and property taxes.  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the Act) changed ...
  By Jason W. Douthit
  

• U.S. Department of Labor Changes Course on Interns

  January 9, 2018In 2011, we alerted employers to the issue of unpaid interns bringing claims and lawsuits for unpaid wages, alleging that they qualified as employees entitled to the minimum wage and overtime protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and ...
  By J. Kent Pearson, Jr.