$450,000 Fine Hits Landscape Company
According to the news release, 
Peach Tree Maintenance Inc. employed a combination of foreign and local workers. Twenty-four employees were hired under the federal H-2B “nonimmigrant program that permits employers to hire foreign workers to meet a temporary need for nonprofessional, nonagricultural skills.”
W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910
Cincinnati Firm Fined After Worksite Investigation
Employers are required to complete and retain a Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This form requires employers to review and record the individual’s identity document(s) and determine whether the document(s) reasonably appear to be genuine and related to the individual. The fine relates to I-9 violations at Koch’s Fairfield, Ohio, facility. The company has cooperated with ICE in the investigation employing the use of E-Verify and ensuring that its policies and procedures are in compliance with legal requirements.
W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910
Keeping the Department of Labor Off Your Doorstep
The report surveyed more than 4,000 workers in three cities and concluded “employment and labor laws are regularly and systematically violated,” with 1.1 million workers having at least one pay-based violation per week. The study concluded that front-line workers lose more than $56.4 million per week in underpaid wages. Claiming violations in virtually every major urban industry, the report found.
W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910
ICE Gets Paid After Massive I-9 Audit
On February 8th, ICE fined Koch Foods over half a million dollars for employing more than 160 undocumented workers at their poultry processing plant near Cincinnati. The company paid the fine on February 9th – one day later. Most people don’t have a cool $536,046 on hand to cope with that kind of sudden expense (although that would be nice). The average employer would more likely be facing bankruptcy.
W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910
How To Avoid Lawsuits In The Workplace
What is causing lawsuits in the workplace. Many employers get caught up in the rush to hire new employees and fail to take basic steps in the hiring process. Employers should be patient and use available screening tools. They should use an employment application form with legal disclaimers such as: employment is “at will,” and no one can change that status except in writing; the employee is subject to drug testing at any time; and statements on the application and in the screening process are truthful. References should be solicited using a separate form authorizing a background check. Other essential screening tools include in-person interviews; drug and alcohol testing; criminal, educational, credit and/or driving-record checks.
Read the full article linked below.
http://djcoregon.com/news/2010/01/12/for-employers-how-to-avoid-lawsuits/
W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910
EEOC Headaches and Lawsuits Still Exists for Companies
Government agencies are still on the move looking for violators. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is busy – continuing to accuse companies of violating federal employment laws. In the aggregate, the companies have paid millions of dollars to settle the claims.
Even Seattle-based Nordstrom was accused of harassing black and Hispanic employees, which the company denied doing, but felt compelled to pay alone.
The American Ballet Theatre was blamed for age discrimination in the firing of a 74-year-old trumpeter. Auto-parts supplier Delphi was charged with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act after demanding access to medical information from workers returning from sick leave. The financial-services company, Bloomberg, was accused of pregnancy bias. There was even a $1.8 million settlement in a same-sex harassment and retaliation case involving United Healthcare of Florida.
Read the full article below.
http://www.kirotv.com/images/sponsors/biz/how_to_avoid_eeoc_headaches_and_lawsuits.pdf
W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910
A Company’s Immigration Compliance Is Vital To Avoid Fines And Criminal Sanctions
Avoiding fines and sanctions are critical to company success. Since the 2003 establishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, the agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws at the work-site, restaurant owners and operators have been a favorite target of government investigations. High-profile raids have occurred across the country, and a number of employers—both large and small—in the industry have been subject to civil fines, penalties and even criminal charges.
Read the full article linked below.
Read more: http://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?keyword=&menu_id=1508&id=376912#ixzz0a3qos8OZ
http://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?keyword=&menu_id=1508&id=376912
W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910
Arvada Restaurant Owner Wins ‘Worst Boss Of 2009′
Paul Martinez, co-owner and manager of the family-run Alamos Verdes restaurant, beat out the Oakland Raiders coach accused of breaking an assistant’s jaw, and a Louisiana water department superintendent captured on tape using “hundreds of obscenities” against employees and ordering a supervisor to physically attack a worker.
Link to the full article below.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/21966233/detail.html
W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910
Northern District Courts Orders Marc’s to Pay $426,000 In Overtime
Overtime violation are still affecting companies. The United States Northern District of Ohio Court in Cleveland on Tuesday ruled that Marc’s, along with its Connecticut offshoot, Xpect Discounts, must pay workers a combined $426,504 in unpaid overtime wages.
Read the full article linked below.
http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2009/12/02/news/nh1772745.txt
W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910
Colorado Was Hit With The Second Largest Fine In State History By OSHA
How will workplace safety effect your business? The second largest workplace safety fine in Colorado’s history was issued against Temple Grain Elevators after 17-year-old Cody Rigsby was killed while working in grain elevator on May 29th. The U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) http://www.osha.gov/ and the Wage and Hour Division issued over $1.6 million in fines on Monday, November 23, 2009.
Link to the full article below.
W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910
