Well, not formally, but as far as confirmation of Presidential nominees is concerned, it might as well be. As the partial government shutdown enters its 3rd full week, the Senate’s block on the re-nomination of democratic Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner Chai Feldblum is complete with her term expiring after nine years with the agency. President…
Read More »And, speaking of the partial government shutdown, with tax deadlines and annual income tax filing obligations approaching, the impact on the operations of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is of growing concern to a number of businesses and individuals. Notwithstanding, the administration announced this week that tax refunds will be paid out during the shutdown…
Read More »On the subject of tax obligations, those New Jersey taxpayers who may not have met all legal obligations regarding their state tax liabilities from February 2009 through August 2017 still have a few days to make amends – the New Jersey Tax Amnesty program will expire next Tuesday, January 15, 2019! The program, which began…
Read More »As if driving up the cost of business with higher minimum wages, mandatory paid sick leave and “predictability pay” under the NYC Fair Workweek law (predictive scheduling) weren’t enough, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio hopes to go one better – mandatory vacation time! In his annual State of the City message, de Blasio…
Read More »At the New York state level, the news was more favorable of late as Governor Andrew Cuomo vetoed a bill expanding the state paid leave mandates. The expansion, which was passed by the legislature back in the summer, would have expanded the availability of employee paid family leave to include bereavement for family members. Back…
Read More »With a new legislature taking office this past week in Annapolis, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan can anticipate using his veto pen on a host of proposals should they make it to his desk. Legislators in the Terrapin State have already begun pushing another increase in the state minimum wage from the current $10.10/hour to a…
Read More »It’s never too early to plan, and in that vein, we wanted to get these dates out to you as soon as we could. Mark your calendars now for the DDIFO National Conference, October 28-29 at the Foxwoods Casino and Hotel in Connecticut. The National Conference, last year held in New Orleans, is a program…
Read More »Starbucks announced this week that it was changing course relative to its upscale Reserve Roasteries and Reserve coffee bars, redirecting its focus on traditional outlets. Under former CEO Howard Schultz, the company had planned to open as many as 1,000 new Reserve coffee bars, but current CEO Kevin Johnson has scrubbed those plans for the…
Read More »Earlier this week, McDonalds workers went on strike over the lunch period at a number of Florida restaurants in St. Petersburg, Tampa and Orlando to protest for worker safety at QSR establishments. The action was taken after a January video showing a customer attacking a counter employee at a St. Petersburg restaurant went viral. And,…
Read More »On December 28th, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its long-awaited Browning-Ferris Industries appeal decision – nearly two years after oral arguments were presented in the case. In a 2-1 split decision, the court found that BFI should not be considered a joint employer, but at the same time found that the analytical structure with which the…
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