|
 ...But
Your Honor,
We Didn’t Even Know About That Law!...
"IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO DEFENSE . . .
GUILTY!"
There is no excuse to be
uninformed about the many new laws and changes employers
must respond to in 2005. The best way to get your arms
around what YOU NEED TO KNOW is to attend
TPO’s Annual
Conference. Meanwhile, here’s a rundown:
SEXUAL
HARASSMENT (AB 1825)
n
New Developments: Court
decisions, rulings and guidelines.
n
California employers who
employ or contract for services with more than 50 employees
are now required to provide all supervisors at least 2 hours
of sexual harassment training, as specified, by January 1,
2006 and every two years thereafter. Any new supervisor must
be trained within 6 months of being hired.
For more information, read
TPO’s December eNews!
PRIVATE
ATTORNEY GENERAL ACT (aka "Sue Your Boss") (SB1809)
n
Increases courts ability to
award lesser penalties to avoid unjust results.
n
Employees are now required to
follow specific steps for certain alleged Labor Code
violations before a lawsuit may be filed.
CALIFORNIA
DOMESTIC PARTNER LAWS
n
Domestic partners now have
same rights, protections and benefits as spouses:
- Health plan coverage now
required at equal levels as spousal coverage
- Protection from employment
discrimination based on domestic partner status
- Eligibility for CFRA (CA
Family Rights Act) benefits
WORKERS'
COMPENSATION REFORM (This can save you money!)
(SB899)
n
Allows an employer to create
approved medical provider networks to treat work-related
injury and illness and to control treatment indefinitely.
n
Limits pre-designation of
treating physicians to those who are part of the employer's
health benefits plan.
n
Places a cap on temporary
disability payments for most injuries at two years from the
first payment.
n
Increases benefits for
individuals with severe permanent disabilities while
decreasing benefits for more minor injuries.
n
Encourages return-to-work
programs by providing subsidies to small employers for
workplace modifications.
n
Requires employers to place a
revised version of the workers' compensation poster in all
workplaces as of August 1, 2004 and provide a new version of
the pamphlet to all employees hired on or after August 1,
2004. There also is a new claim form.
n
New penalties for employers
without Workers Compensation Insurance.
For more information, read
TPO’s July eNews!
COBRA: New
forms for...
n
Employees who become eligible
to enroll in health benefits in California and Outside
California.
n
Employee and/or qualified
beneficiary in California and Outside California upon
occurrence of a qualifying event.
n
Plan administrator to advise
of the occurrence of a qualifying event.
I-9 Form
n
New section describing
revision to the list of documents that may be accepted with
the I-9 Form.
CHANGES TO
IDENTIFYING DATA ON PAYROLL (SB 1618)
n
Based on growing concerns
about identify theft, by January 1, 2008, employers are
required to limit Social Security numbers on itemized
payroll statements to no more than the last four digits, or
an existing employee identification number other than a
Social Security number. |
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