The President and Vice President met with a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders in late June to discuss one of today’s most contentious issues – immigration – and how to go about reforming the broken immigration system. One of the White House’s focal points for immigration reform is enhanced enforcement efforts. The President noted that
Employers should Protect Registered Trademarks and Company Names from Appropriation on Facebook
On June 9, Facebook, the social networking website, publicly announced that beginning Saturday, June 13 at 12:01 a.m. U.S. EDT, it will allow users to adopt personalized username URLs (e.g., facebook.com/yourname). Trademark owners who want to prevent their trademarks from being registered as a Facebook username URL by another Facebook user should take action as
May Unemployment Rate increases to 9.4%
The Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers for May show the national unemployment rate reaching a 26 year high to 9.4% up from 8.9% in April. The number of unemployed persons increased by 787,000 to 14.5 million. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons has risen by
President Obama selects Sonia Sotomayor as Supreme Court Nominee
Judge Sotomayor’s resume is summarized by CNN and her most notable opinions are compiled by the New York Times. Judge Sotomayor’s most significant employment-related decision came in Ricci v. DeStefano which is now before the United States Supreme Court. Ricci is a discrimination case brought by white firefighters after the city threw out results of a
Lessons Learned from the almost Pandemic: 2009 Novel Influenza A H1N1 a/k/a Swine Flu
The swine flu is thankfully less severe than anticipated and certainly not the "pandemic" that was feared and even predicted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports at least 5,469 cases of swine flu in the United States with Pennsylvania accounting for 55 cases. Six deaths are linked to the outbreak. The CDC continues
April Unemployment up to 8.9%
The Department of Labor released unemployment data on April’s unemployment rates. The unemployment rate rose to 8.9 percent, and the number of unemployed persons increased by 563,000 to 13.7 million in April. Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons has risen by 6.0 million, and the unemployment rate has grown by 3.9 percentage points. The
Business Preparedness: Pennsylvania Employer’s Guide to Pandemic Resources
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports that as of April 28, 2009, there are no reported cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in Pennsylvania. However, the Center for Control reports 91 laboratory confirmed cases in the United States and tragically the first U.S. fatality.
Best practices for Human Resources should involve planning for business
IRS Releases Information for Employers to Claim COBRA Assistance Credit on Payroll Tax Form
On February 26, 2009, the Internal Revenue Service released detailed information that will help employers claim credit for the COBRA medical premiums they pay for their former employees.
Under the new law, eligible former employees, enrolled in their employer’s health plan at the time they lost their jobs, are required to pay only 35 percent
IRS issues new Tax Withholding Tables implementing Making Work Pay Credit
On February 21, 2009, the Internal Revenue Service released new withholding tables implementing the new Making Work Pay credit, one of the key tax provisions included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The new withholding tables, along with other instructions related to the new tax law, will be incorporated in
Pennsylvania Employers prepare for Super Bowl Flu Outbreak
Last year a survey called "Super Bowl Fever Sidelines Employees on Monday Morning" reported that 1.5 million adults may call in sick the day after the big game. The solution to the productivity loss is so obvious.
Why isn’t the Super Bowl on Saturday? It has spawned websites and a great media debate. There