BW INSIGHTS

Option for Avoiding Total Layoffs During COVID-19

By Danielle Smid | 03.18.2020
This is not a new program but has new features to assist employers in trying to avoid layoffs. Iowa Workforce Development describes its “Voluntary Shared Work Program Unemployment Insurance Benefits” (VSW) below: “The program is intended for use as an alternative to layoffs and can be an effective tool for Iowa businesses experiencing a temporary... Read More

Employer Guidance Regarding COVID-19 Impact on Unemployment Benefits in Iowa

By Danielle Smid | 03.18.2020
Do employees need to exhaust all vacation, sick leave, or personal time off (PTO) time prior to claiming unemployment benefits? Yes. If an employer offers vacation, sick leave, or PTO time to employees, the employees must exhaust those benefits prior to claiming unemployment benefits. Are employers required to lay off employees in order for the... Read More

2020 Legislative Session - Week 6

By BrownWinick | 02.21.2020
Lawmakers focused heavily on committee work this week, as they raced to beat Friday’s first funnel deadline. Most legislation that hasn't passed full committee in either the Senate or the House isn't eligible for consideration the rest of session. (The major exceptions to this rule are bills dealing with taxes, spending, or government oversight.)... Read More

New Form I-9 Released

By BrownWinick | 02.03.2020
USCIS recently announced that a new version of the Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) with a version date of 10/21/2019 is available for use beginning 1/31/2020. Employers may use the prior version of the form bearing a version date of 07/17/2017 until 4/30/2020. After 4/30/2020, the prior version of the form will no longer be valid,... Read More

The U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance on Joint Employer Rule

By BrownWinick | 01.21.2020
The U.S. Department of Labor issued some much-needed guidance regarding the application of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act’s Joint Employer rule. The rule becomes effective on March 16, 2020. In the joint employer scenario where another person is benefitting from the employee's work, the Department is adopting a four-factor balancing test... Read More

2020 Legislative Session-Week 1

By BrownWinick | 01.17.2020
The first week of the 2020 Iowa legislative sessionstarted Monday with the swearing-in of a new House Republican leadership team. Rep. Pat Grassley (R-New Hartford) was officially named Speaker of the House, while Rep. Matt Windschitl (R-Missouri Valley) was sworn in as Majority Leader. Grassley listed workforce-related issues as his top concerns,... Read More

Waterloo Bans the Box - Other Employers Need to Think Outside It

By BrownWinick | 12.20.2019
On a final vote on November 4, 2019, the Waterloo City Council narrowly passed a city ordinance intended to help people with criminal histories find jobs by reducing the effect of the stigma of an arrest or conviction. The “Fair Chance Initiative” goes into effect on July 1, 2020. These types of measures, commonly called “ban the box” initiatives,... Read More

Another Final Rule from the DOL Regarding the FLSA - Effective January 15, 2020

By BrownWinick | 12.20.2019
Previously, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released its Final Rule on September 24, 2019, updating the earnings requirements for exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Please see prior blog post. Now, the DOL has published another Final Rule (on 12/16/19) that may impact how overtime is determined for non-exempt (hourly)... Read More

The NLRB Bears Gifts for Employers - Just in Time for the Holidays

By BrownWinick | 12.19.2019
NLRB Rulings Shake Up Previous Standards On December 16, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued two decisions which overrule previous standards regarding workplace confidentiality and work email usage for personal communications. We expect employers will see these as welcome changes. Read on for more good cheer. Apogee Retail LLC d/b/a... Read More

Electronic H-1B Lottery for FY2021 Announced

By BrownWinick | 12.09.2019
In an effort to streamline processes, U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on December 6, 2019 that it will be implementing an electronic registration process for the lottery selection of H-1B cap subject petitions. Under the new process, employers seeking H-1B workers will complete a registration process to determine... Read More

    Filter

      Subscribe Now