With its minimum wage now tied to inflation, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced the minimum wage in January 2019 will increase to $8.85 per hour. The minimum wage hike, put in place by New Jersey voters in a 2014 referendum, brought the wage up to the current $8.60 and then tied it to inflation…
Read More »New Jersey is one example, but the ongoing drumbeat to continually hike the minimum wage at state and local levels continues. The city council in St. Paul Minnesota released an initial draft of a $15/hr minimum wage ordinance they plan to consider before year-end. The proposal mandates that large businesses with 100 workers or more…
Read More »The legal arm of the National Right to Work Committee (NRWC) filed a couple of class action lawsuits in Ohio earlier this week. One of the cases seeks refunds of “fair share fees” taken by local affiliates of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Union (AFSCME), while the other seeks to strike…
Read More »With its egregious soda tax legislation having been ratified by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court a few months ago, the Philadelphia City Council has now turned its eye to another business-killing idea. They announced they’ll hold a public hearing on October 30 to review restrictive scheduling legislation pending before the body. The legislation, introduced back in…
Read More »The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals officially revived a case regarding a Starbucks corporate policy that requires an employee to clock out before uploading data about employees’ hours, sales, and other information. The federal case follows a separate state Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that determined that Starbucks must pay workers for the off-the-clock…
Read More »The ever useful QSR Magazine Drive Thru Study was published earlier this week and it bodes pretty well for Dunkin’ while identifying some areas for improvement. The one-of-a-kind study found Dunkin’ being the 2nd fastest overall of the 10 QSR Brands displayed and fastest when including presells while enjoying 90% accuracy in completing its drive-thru…
Read More »
Watch for the announcement this week of our next member meeting in Chicago on November 13 featuring a presentation by franchise attorney Michael Boxerman. The event will be held at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare and will focus on a number of important franchise issues as well as a host of employment law issues such as…
Read More »The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently released new regulations governing the applicability of certain provisions contained in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) signed into law last year. First, for tax years 2018 and 2019, employers may be eligible for a tax credit when they give eligible employees paid family and medical leave. Notice…
Read More »The Department of Labor on Tuesday announced it was extending the Payroll Audit Independent Determination Program (PAID) for an additional six months. PAID is a voluntary compliance initiative that helps workers collect back wages due them in an expedited manner without having to wait for lengthy investigations to conclude or initiate court cases. Through PAID,…
Read More »Somehow it seems appropriate that rock band The Eagles released that hit song in 1976, early in the first administration of California Governor Jerry Brown (1975 – 1983). Well, it must be déjà vu all over again as the same Governor Brown signed a couple of different bills recently that can significantly impact small businesses…
Read More »