Monthly Archives: January 2016

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Ohio Ban the Box Legislation Passed

The Ohio Senate passed House Bill 56 also known as “Ban the Box” legislation. This bill prohibits public employers from asking for information about an applicant’s felony convictions at the time the application is submitted to the public employer. There is an exception to this restriction that covers applications for positions which include statutory restrictions [...]

2017-10-24T13:30:59-04:00January 14th, 2016|Latest News, Newsletter|

Department of Labor Delays Implementation of New Overtime Rules

In March 2014, President Obama signed a memorandum directing the Department of Labor to update the regulations defining which white-collar workers should no longer be barred from receiving overtime compensation under the DOL regulations. As a result, the Department of Labor has undertaken a proposed rule making process that included receiving numerous comments concerning this [...]

2017-10-24T13:30:59-04:00January 14th, 2016|Latest News, Newsletter|

Controversial “Cadillac Tax” Delayed until 2020

President Obama signed H.R. 2029, the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2016, on December 18, 2015. Title 1, Section 101 of this Act includes a two year delay of the excise tax on high cost employer-sponsored health coverage, nicknamed the “Cadillac Tax.” The tax was scheduled to take effect January 1, 2018, but is now delayed [...]

2017-10-24T13:30:59-04:00January 14th, 2016|Latest News, Newsletter|

Ohio Supreme Court Case Reinforces the Need to Properly Classify Workers

A 2015 Ohio Supreme Court case serves as a reminder to Ohio’s employers to properly classify their workers as either “employees” or “independent contractors.” In State ex rel. WFAL Constr. v. Buehrer, the Court determined that WFAL Construction improperly classified workers as independent contractors. As a result, WFAL owed back workers’ compensation premiums due to [...]

2017-10-24T13:30:59-04:00January 14th, 2016|Latest News, Newsletter|

Columbus Police Ban on Muslim Headscarves Challenged

An important issue for Ohio’s employers is when they may be required by law to provide religious accommodations for their employees. The Ohio Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals based on religion in regards to promotion, tenure, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral, terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, or [...]

2017-10-24T13:30:59-04:00January 14th, 2016|Latest News, Newsletter|

Judges Do Have a Sense of Humor

A recent decision from Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge David Cain reminds us that Judges do have sense of humor. Judge Cain was confronted with an inmate’s lawsuit alleging corrections officers caused him to soil his pants. The inmate sought $2 million in damages for harassment, embarrassment and emotional distress. Judge Cain dispensed with [...]

2017-10-24T13:30:59-04:00January 14th, 2016|Latest News, Newsletter|

New Year, New Health Insurance Ideas

The IRS has issued Notice 2015-87, which provides further guidance on health reimbursement arrangements (“HRAs”) and the application of other provisions of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). The Notice clarified that an employer may not reimburse an employee who buys an individual health insurance plan (on the open market or from the ACA Exchange) for [...]

2017-10-24T13:30:59-04:00January 14th, 2016|Latest News, Newsletter|

NLRB Decision May Impact Workplace Cell Phone Policies

Nowadays, many people own and frequently use a smartphone to take photos or record videos, among many other functions. Employers may have an interest in prohibiting video or photograph of its trade secrets or other confidential information. However, a December 24, 2015 decision issued by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) could impact whether these [...]

2017-10-24T13:31:00-04:00January 14th, 2016|Latest News, Newsletter|