COA finds fired highway worker was at-will employee
Echoing precedent, the Indiana Court of Appeals has found that an employee handbook is not an employment contract.
labor and employment
Articles
Judge puts brakes on California Uber drivers’ suit outcome
Uber Technologies Inc. won a ruling that may put off the outcome of a bid by California drivers to be treated as employees in a lawsuit that has grown dramatically both in size and potential liability.
Slavery labels sought for US goods as SEC reporting law mulled
“This item may be the product of slave labor.” Those jarring words could end up on candy bar wrappers, packages of frozen shrimp and even cans of cat food if some California lawyers get their way.
Uber expense may grow as US drivers seek 57.5 cents a mile
Fifty seven and a half cents for every mile logged. That’s the latest demand from Uber Technologies Inc. drivers in California suing to be treated like employees.
COA leaves arbitrator’s award in place
The Indiana Court of Appeals on Thursday declined Madison County’s request that it correct or vacate an arbitrator’s award in favor of two county highway department employees. The appeals court concluded the county circumvented the collective bargaining agreement when it discharged the two employees.
Panel: Indiana’s economy to grow at slightly faster rate
Indiana's economy will grow at a slightly faster rate next year and into 2017 even as the state faces challenges from weakening international markets, Indiana University economists said Thursday in their annual forecast.
Pence decides to pay off federal unemployment loan
Gov. Mike Pence on Thursday morning announced that the state would use about $250 million from Indiana's surplus to finish paying back the federal government for a loan the state took out to pay unemployment benefits during the recession.
Complaint targets Quicken Loans’ employee free speech rules
Mortgage giant Quicken Loans overly restricts employees' free speech and should rewrite its rules for workers and educate employees about their rights, according to a National Labor Relations Board complaint.
Marshal’s wage suit against town fails on appeal
A former marshal in a small southern Indiana town is not entitled to unpaid wages, overtime and other damages because the town employed fewer than five law enforcement officers, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Thursday in a matter of first impression.
Doubt means don’t: Drafting an effective social media policy
Because social media is a relatively new phenomenon, employers have been wading into uncharted territories when creating and implementing social media policies.
Independent contractor or employee: DOL gives guidance
In mid-July, the administrator for the Department of Labor’s wage and hour division issued an interpretation to give guidance about whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee.
Proposal would double salary threshold for exempt employees
Employment attorneys and their clients large and small are scrambling to find ways to deal with a likely change in federal regulation that could more than double the earnings threshold for workers classified as exempt from overtime.
Law professor’s book spotlights service workers’ fight for unions
Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law professor Fran Quigley’s book, “If We Can Win Here: The New Front Lines of the Labor Movement,” examines how the push for higher wages and better working conditions is playing out in the very red Hoosier state.
California says Uber drivers are employees
The California labor commissioner’s ruling that an Uber Technologies Inc. driver must be treated as an employee may have repercussions throughout the on-demand economy.
Lawsuit says Mourdock gave chief deputy 3-year contract
A lawsuit by former Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock's chief deputy challenging his firing claims the official gave him a three-year, $300,000 contract before he resigned from office last year.
Pence signs bill repealing Indiana construction wage law
Local boards will no longer set minimum wages for public construction projects in Indiana under a law signed Wednesday by Gov. Mike Pence.
House panel backs repealing Indiana public projects wage law
A sharply divided Indiana House committee has endorsed a proposal to repeal the state law that sets wages for public construction projects.
Indiana bills to increase minimum wage go unheard
More than half of states in the U.S. have enacted laws increasing their minimum wages above the federal standard of $7.25 an hour, but the Indiana Legislature won’t even discuss it.
Senate passes bill allowing religion-based hiring by contractors
The Indiana Senate has moved a bill to the House of Representatives that will allow religious institutions that receive state and local government contracts to make hiring decisions based upon religion.
State union membership counters national trend
Indiana bucked a national trend in 2014 by experiencing an increase in labor union membership, new statistics released by the U. S. Labor Department show.