Monthly Archives: January 2016

SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR ANNUAL COMPLIANCE/BEST PRACTICES SEMINAR!

Please mark your calendar for Lindner & Marsack, S.C.’s Annual Compliance/Best Practices Seminar!

WHEN:         April 14, 2016

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

WHERE:       Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel

375 South Moorland Road

Brookfield, WI

This FREE half-day event will address current topics in labor, employment, benefits & worker’s compensation law and provide employers across industries with practical and creative solutions for addressing their toughest workplace legal challenges.

SESSION TOPICS INCLUDE: 

  • Labor Law Update: Including Recent NLRB Decisions, Right to Work and Collective Bargaining Trends
  • 2016 Employment Law Update
  • FMLA Update – A Best Practices Review
  • The Use of Temporary Workers in 2016 – A Panel Discussion
  • Update on Proposed Wisconsin Worker Compensation Act Reform
  • Winning Strategies in Defending Worker Compensation Cases – How to Avoid Early Mistakes in Investigating Claims

Watch your inbox as well as our Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages for more detailed information about session topics and a link to register for this free seminar.

NEW PAY TRANSPARENCY RULES ARE NOW IN EFFECT FOR FEDERAL CONTRACTORS

By: Laurie A. Petersen and Samantha J. Wood

On January 11, 2016, the final rule implementing Executive Order 13665 went into effect. This rule makes it unlawful for federal contractors to discharge or discriminate in any manner against any employee or job applicant because such employee or applicant has inquired about, discussed, or disclosed his or her compensation information or has inquired about, discussed, or disclosed another employee or applicant’s compensation information.

This rule applies to any business or organization that (1) holds a single federal contract, subcontract, or federally assisted construction contract in excess of $10,000; (2) has federal contracts or subcontracts that have a combined total in excess of $10,000 in any 12-month period; or (3) holds government bills of lading, serves as a depository of federal funds, or is an issuing and paying agency for U.S. savings bonds and notes in any amount. While in effect now, the rule will apply to these employers once they enter into a new covered federal contract or subcontract or modify an existing covered federal contract or subcontract on or after January 11, 2016.

In accordance with this rule, contractors are prohibited from having policies or practices that prohibit or tend to restrict employees or applicants from discussing topics such as: salary, wages, overtime pay, shift differentials, bonuses, commissions, vacation and holiday pay, allowances, insurance and other benefits, stock options and awards, profit sharing, and retirement. Contractors must revise handbooks, confidentiality agreements, employment agreements, or other work rules and policies that restrict discussing compensation information.

The rule also requires federal contractors to do the following:

  1. Post the Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision either electronically or in a conspicuous location in the workplace where it can be seen by employees and applicants. This provision can be found at  http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/PayTransparencyNondiscrimination.html
  2. Incorporate the Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision into existing manuals or .employee handbooks, and disseminate the updated manuals or handbooks.
  3. Post the updated “EEOC is the Law Poster” when it becomes available. In the interim, post the “EEOC is the Law Poster Supplement,” available at http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/ofccpost.htm
  4. Ensure that all contracts entered into or modified after January 11, 2016, contain a revised equal opportunity clause. If the contract incorporates 41 C.F.R. § 60-1.4, by reference, no changes are necessary.

If you have questions about this material, please contact Laurie A. Petersen or Samantha J. Wood by email at lpetersen@lindner-marsack.com or swood@lindner-marsack.com, or any other attorney you have been working with here at Lindner & Marsack, S.C.

2016 Worker’s Compensation Gamble

Lindner & Marsack’s worker’s compensation defense practice is well recognized as an industry leader in providing work injury defense services to many of Wisconsin’s largest employers and insurance carriers.

Doug Feldman heads the Firm’s highly regarded work injury defense team and is a founding Board Member and current President of Kids’ Chance of Wisconsin. Kids’ Chance is a non-profit organization that provides scholarships to children of seriously injured workers in Wisconsin.

Kids’ Chance of Wisconsin is presenting a complimentary half-day worker’s compensation seminar on February 25, 2016 at Potawatomi Hotel and Casino, followed by a networking cocktail hour and silent auction. Funds raised at the event will directly support the Kids’ Chance mission of providing financial support, in the form of scholarships, to children of parents who have been seriously injured at work.

If you are interested in attending this event, click here for more information.

Lindner & Marsack owes much of its success to its good friends and clients in Wisconsin and is proud to be able to support this worthy endeavor and give back to the community in such a meaningful way. We hope you will consider joining us for this educational opportunity.