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<channel>
	<title>Employee Rights Blog</title>
	<atom:link href="http://employeeissues.com/blog/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog</link>
	<description>Employee Rights and Related Matters in the News</description>
	<pubDate>Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:19:16 +0000</pubDate>
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	<language>en</language>
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		<title>Hurricane Gustav Unemployment Assistance - Updated</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/hurricane-gustav-unemployment/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:40:02 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[disaster]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[unemployment]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=108</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[At last check, the Louisiana Unemployment Office was still experiencing technical difficulties with its Web site and menu phone system because of damage caused by Hurricane Gustav. If you need unemployment assistance and can&#8217;t reach the Louisiana Unemployment Office, there are alternatives that will help you.
On September 3, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced [...]]]></description>
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		<title>About Labor Day</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/labor-day/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[holiday pay]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[legal holidays]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[paid holidays]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[pay]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=107</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Labor Day, a national holiday, occurs each year on the first Monday of September. In 2008, Labor Day falls on September 1.
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 and Joiners and cofounder [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Tropical Storm Fay Disaster Unemployment Assistance</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/tropical-storm-fay-dua/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:05:28 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[disaster]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[unemployment]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=106</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tropical Storm Fay Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available in Brevard, St. Lucie, Okeechobee, Volusia and Hendry Counties, through the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation.
The Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation (commonly referred to as the &#8220;Florida Unemployment Office&#8221;) will qualify more counties for Tropical Storm Fay Disaster Unemployment Assistance, if further damage assessments justify it.
The application [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Tropical Storm Fay Temporary Cleanup Jobs</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/tropical-storm-fay-temporary-cleanup-jobs/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:55:58 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[disaster]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[temporary cleanup jobs]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[unemployment]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=104</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation (commonly referred to as the &#8220;Florida Unemployment Office&#8221;) plans to create approximately 6,500 Tropical Storm Fay temporary cleanup jobs.
President Bush declared Florida disaster areas due to flooding and other damage caused by Tropical Storm Fay.
Subsequently, Florida Governor Charlie Crist directed the Florida Unemployment Office to submit a National Emergency [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Forced Meal Breaks</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/forced-meal-breaks/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:13:54 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[breaks]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[pay]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[wages]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=103</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you&#8217;ve ever wondered why your employer makes you take forced meal breaks without pay, here&#8217;s why.
There is no Federal wage and hour law that mandates meal periods for employees, such as dinner and lunch breaks. However, states may enact their own wage and hour laws that do mandate meal periods and other work breaks, [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Mass Layoffs Report - Monthly</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/mass-layoffs-m/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:06:48 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[layoffs]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[unemployment]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=49</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that employers initiated 1,512 mass layoffs in July 2008, which caused at least 151,171 workers to lose their jobs as measured by initial claims for unemployment benefits. Each mass layoff measured involved at least 50 workers.
The number of mass layoffs decreased by 131 from June, while the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>New Whistleblower Law</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/whistleblower-law-cpsia/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:13:11 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[discrimination]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[retaliation]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[whistleblower]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=102</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Employee whistleblower protection provisions are included in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which President Bush recently signed into law.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 establishes consumer product safety standards and other safety requirements for toys and other children&#8217;s products.
The new whistleblower law in Section 219 of the Act makes it [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Mass Layoffs Report - Quarterly</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/mass-layoffs-q/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:36:01 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[layoffs]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[unemployment]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=45</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Employers initiated 1,534 mass layoffs in the second quarter of 2008 causing 299,886 workers to lose their jobs for at least 31 days, according to preliminary figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
In the same quarter, 254,063 workers filed initial claims for unemployment benefits. The number of initial claims was up by [...]]]></description>
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		<title>IT Worker Sues Apple for Overtime Pay</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/overtime-lawsuit-apple/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:47:38 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[overtime]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[pay]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[wages]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=101</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A network engineer who formerly worked for Apple, Inc., has filed a class-action lawsuit against the maker of iPods, iPhones and Mac computers regarding final pay, work breaks and mandatory overtime without overtime pay. Those of you who are IT workers might be interested in the outcome of what could be a benchmark case regarding overtime [...]]]></description>
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		<title>DOT Alcohol and Drug Testing Changes</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/dot-drug-test/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:50:40 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[drug testing]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=100</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed rule changes to its alcohol and drug testing procedures, that will become effective on August 25, 2008. DOT-regulated employers must follow DOT procedures, while employers who are not DOT-regulated may voluntarily follow them, as some do.
The proposed changes make specimen validity testing (SVT) mandatory within the DOT-regulated [...]]]></description>
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		<title>E-Verify States</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/e-verify-states/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:35:10 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[E-Verify]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[immigration]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=76</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[According to the law firm of Fisher &#38; Phillips, the states of AK, AZ, CO, GA, MO, MS, OK, SC and RI now require certain employers and state agencies to verify the employment eligibility of new-hires by using the E-Verify System. Additionally:

TN encourages employers to use E-Verify
ID, MN, NC, PA and UT mandate that state [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Fear of Sexual Contact is a Disability</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/sexual-contact-disability/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:37:43 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[discrimination]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=99</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has essentially ruled that fear of sexual contact is a disability for which employment discrimination is prohibited under the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Kathy Adams, the plaintiff in the July 2008 case of Adams v. Rice, was well on her way to landing a job [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Hurricane Dolly Disaster Unemployment Assistance</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/hurricane-dolly-dua/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:55:41 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[disaster]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[unemployment]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=98</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hurricane Dolly Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available in three Texas counties that were significantly damaged by the category-2 hurricane.
President George Bush declared disaster areas in southeastern counties of the state, on and near the Gulf Coast.
Subsequently, the Texas Unemployment Office (Texas Workforce Commission) has made Hurricane Dolly Disaster Unemployment Assistance available in the counties of [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Unemployment Rate</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/unemployment-rate/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:02:27 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=66</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The national unemployment rate rose from 5.5 percent in June to 5.7 in July 2008, as nonfarm employment continued to trend downward according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Average hourly earnings increased by 6 cents, the same as in June.
Along with the unemployment rate, the number of unemployed workers across the nation also [...]]]></description>
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		<title>New Religion Discrimination Guidelines</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/religion-discrimination-guide/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:43:51 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[discrimination]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=97</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has published new guidelines in a compliance manual, regarding religion discrimination in the workplace.
The new guidelines address religion discrimination within the meaning of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII is a landmark, Federal discrimination law that prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Self-Employment Assistance</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/self-employment-assistance/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:17:34 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[self-employment]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[unemployment]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=96</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Self-Employment Assistance is a special program that helps eligible unemployed workers, including those with disabilities, to attempt to become self-employed while collecting state unemployment benefits.
State unemployment offices are not required to participate in the program, but may do so voluntarily. To date, unemployment offices in the following states were voluntarily participating.

Delaware
Maine
Maryland
New Jersey
New York
Oregon
Pennsylvania

If you become [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Disaster Unemployment Assistance - Storms, Tornadoes, Floods</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/dua-flood/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:08:11 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=79</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Disaster Unemployment Assistance is available or will likely soon become available, for eligible employees and self-employed individuals who&#8217;ve recently lost their jobs or income because of severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes or flooding in several states.
Hurricane Dolly Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available through September 2, 2008 in three Texas counties, due to damage caused [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Minimum Wage Increase</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/minimum-wage-increase/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:01:22 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=93</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The new minimum wage amount mandated at the Federal level is $6.55 per hour, an increase of 70 cents over the previous hourly rate of $5.85. The new minimum wage became effective on July 24, 2008.
President George W. Bush authorized the minimum wage increase last year, when he signed the Fair Minimum Wage Act of [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Family Leave Insurance Act of 2008</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/flia-2008/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:05:05 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[family medical leave act]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[healthy families act]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[pay]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[sick leave]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[wages]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=95</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The House of Representatives is considering the Family Leave Insurance Act of 2008 as Bill H.R.5873. If the Act becomes federal law, it will require certain employers to provide paid family and medical leave benefits to eligible employees. Some sources have indicated that it&#8217;s a done deal.
If so, the Act will establish a Family and [...]]]></description>
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		<title>General Motors Layoffs and Plant Closings</title>
		<link>http://employeeissues.com/blog/gm-layoffs/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:05:45 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://employeeissues.com/blog/?p=94</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, General Motors (GM) announced that it plans to cut expenses by a whopping $15 billion, though layoffs, voluntary buyouts, production slowdowns and salary freezes.
Among other cost-cutting measures, GM also plans to suspend its annual stock dividend of $1 per share and reduce health-care benefits for white-collar retirees who are eligible for Medicare.
A few weeks [...]]]></description>
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