HEC Members will have a recap of the employment-related bills passed and killed by the recently concluded 2012 State Legislature in a free morning briefing June 6 in the Kahili Meeting Room featuring HEC’s Ryan Sanada and Tax Foundation President Lowell Kalapa. Read more

HEC will host two-hour programs on I-9 compliance, proposed changes to the I-9 Form, and best practices featuring speakers from the Dept. of Justice and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services June 15 on Oahu (HEC Kahili Meeting Room); June 18 at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel; June 19 at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center; and June 21 at the Kauai Beach Resort. Read more

A Human Resources Director who was terminated while conducting an investigation into sexual harassment allegations cannot claim that she was illegally retaliated against under Title VII because the investigation was not connected with any formal charge brought to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Second Circuit rules, affirming a lower court’s decision. Read more

National Labor Relations Board Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon has issued a number of written responses to questions posed at a recent meeting of the American Bar Association’s Practice and Procedure Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section concerning Read more

Although the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that the Immigration Reform and Control Act bars the National Labor Relations Board from awarding backpay to any individual who was not legally authorized to work in the United States, an employee’s work authorization status generally is irrelevant to the merits of an unfair labor practice complaint and only becomes a triable issue at the compliance stage, according to a guidance memo provided to NLRM Regional Offices. Read more

The U.S. Dept. of Transportation is seeking to amend certain provisions of its drug testing procedures for 6-acetylmorphine (6-AM), a unique metabolite of heroin. Read more

The U.S. Dept. of Labor proposes surveys in 2012 to gauge the current level of workers' voice in the workplace and factors affecting workers' voice as it relates to Wage and Hour Division- and Occupational Safety and Health Administration-administered laws. Read more

The U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration has issued a set of frequently asked questions and answers meant to help plan administrators and service providers comply with the requirements of new rules improving the transparency of fees and investment expenses in retirement plans. Read more

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has kicked off a national outreach initiative to educate workers and employers about the hazards of working outdoors in hot weather. Read more

HEC’s Legislative Digest provides a handy summary of what happened to the individual employment and labor bills introduced in the Hawaii State Legislature this past session. Read more

Hawaii employers wishing to learn more about equal employment opportunity, avoiding discrimination charges, compensation practices, and federal contractors who need to know the affirmative action planning process have until May 18 to register for the National Industry Liaison Group’s conference to be held at the Hilton Waikoloa Village August 27-31. Read more

As previously reported, the U.S. Dept. of Labor has said it will enforce tips as solely the property of employees unless it is part of valid tip pool for employees who “regularly and customarily” receive tips. As an enforcement position, the USDOL will not collect tips as back-wages as part of an investigation until after April 30th if the “stealing” of tips are the only violation in question as part of the investigation, according to Justin Emerick, Community Outreach & Resource Planning Specialist in the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division. Read more

A federal court in Florida has enjoined the U.S. Dept. of Labor from enforcing its new rule governing the employment of temporary, non-agricultural foreign workers under the H-2B program. Read more

The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s proposed rule aimed at strengthening safety requirements for young farm workers has been withdrawn by the agency. Read more

The U.S. Department of Labor says approximately $12 million in grants is available through the Veterans' Workforce Investment Program to provide job training and skills development services that will help approximately 6,000 veterans succeed in civilian careers. Read more