See what is new with us and keep up on the latest employment laws and legislation that affect your business with articles by Joe Stein, WNY HR Professional.
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Whether Mother Nature is ready or not for spring, make sure your business is!
Post your Seasonal Jobs for spring and summer with WNYJobs.com.
- Up-front placement in the paper
- Ads will appear for 30 days online and include access to our online resume data base
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Save 10% when running two or more weeks!
Call 716-648-5627 or email your sales rep today. Deadlines are Wednesday at 4pm for the Friday issue.
Target Niagara County Workers!
Niagara’s WorksourceOne Lockport Job Fair is being held on Wednesday, March 13. We will have our papers there for extra distribution to job seekers! Help your company be seen by advertising in our March 8th edition.
Call or email your sales rep by Wednesday, March 6.
Hiring Success Stories . . .
A Sampling of the Positions Filled by WNYJOBS Advertisers Last Month:
General Machinist ? Delivery Driver ? Front Office Assistant
Administrative Assistant ? Construction Operators
Construction Laborers ? Pharmacy Techs
Compliance Liaison ? Lead Maintenance Tech
Fleet Mechanic ? Sales Coordinator ? Accounting Clerk
Lighting Installer/Service Technician ? Local Drivers?
Construction Trades?? Staff Accountant ? Order Picker
Swan Trucking West: “We hired a mechanic on Monday! He saw the ad and called us right away. Thanks so much!?We are all set for now, I appreciate the help and we will back in the future when we are ready to hire again.”
March 2024 Human Resources Update by Joe Stein
It is now the month of March, and we are all hoping that spring comes soon. Although we may be approaching a new season for the weather (we hope), HR is constantly “in season”.? As always, we have compiled this update in our attempt to make sure you are informed of what has happened in the past month.
- If you think recent years have been busy on the employment legislation front in New York State, then it should not be a shocker that it appears the pace will continue.? In January, NY’s Governor released the 2025 Executive Budget Proposal, which includes such potential additional requirements as paid prenatal leave and paid breaks for breast milk expression.? They are also planning to finally address the NY statutory disability insurance benefit cap, which has been stuck at $170/week since 1989 (35 years)!? The state also plans to address the proliferation of claims covered by the requirement that manual workers are paid weekly. They are planning to place some limitations on liquidated damages if the employee(s) were ultimately paid their full earned amount.
- On January 11th, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that effective January 15th, it had raised the civil penalty amounts for legal violations due to inflation.? Based on the Consumer Price Index, the DOL penalties will be multiplied by 1.03% and then rounded to the nearest dollar. The new amounts will apply to a violation that occurred after March 23, 2018. ?
- Despite the best efforts of the federal government to support the expansion of organized labor, the percentage of American unionized workers once again dipped in 2023.? The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released their end-of-year report on union labor, and it revealed that 10% of American workers were organized compared to 10.1% in 2022. This is despite the reporting of the National Labor Relations Board that in its last fiscal year, the number of union petitions increased by 3%.
- If you believe the adage that nobody wins in a strike, then the following is very bleak news.? The number of 2023 major strikes in the United States were 33, an increase of 43% of 2022.? This number is the highest since 2000, when there were 39 major strikes.? A major strike involves 1,000 or more employes for at least one workweek day.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) continues to stay busy with the implementation, on March 2nd, of some new employer requirements regarding submitting injury and illness reports.? Certain “high hazard” employers with 100 or more employees are now required to electronically submit OSHA Forms 300 and 301 by March 2nd of each year. Previously, these forms were kept by employers and provided to OSHA when required, such as in an inspection.
- A couple of months back, I had a note that highlighted OSHA’s plans to allow a 3rd party, such as a labor union representative, to join them on any walkaround inspection.? The rule is now at the White House expecting its final approval.
- A reminder that the U.S. Department of Labor’s final rule on the new Independent Contractor Classification takes effect on March 11th. Hopefully, you have reviewed your independent contractors by then to determine if you have anyone who really should be an employee instead.
- COVID-19 is still in the news with this February update from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).? The agency announced that people with COVID-19 no longer need to isolate if they have been fever-free for 24 hours and their symptoms are mild or improving. The current guidance recommends isolation for five days if you have tested positive and then mask for five additional days.
- A reminder is due regarding what went into effect in January as a result of the Secure Act of 2022. The biggest addition is the ability for an employer to provide a retirement plan match to an employee based on their monthly student loan repayment, and not their retirement program contribution.
We have now completed another update. Many of the items covered above are quite complex, and a short paragraph summary does not begin to address the subject. We encourage you to further research any of the items above that are of interest to you.? See you again in April!
Joe Stein, WNY Human Resources Professional
The following has been prepared for the general information of readers. It is not meant to provide advice regarding any specific legal or policy matter and should not be acted upon without verification by the reader.
