HR Monthly Round Up - January 2024
Welcome, everyone! In the next few minutes, we’ll review the latest in HR news. Let’s get started.
On January 9, the U.S. Department of Labor released a final rule about independent contractors. The rule lists the criteria for employers to consider when classifying workers as either employees or independent contractors.
Although the final rule impacts businesses across the country, the transportation industry in particular will be affected by the changes since many carriers hire independent contractors to move freight.
The final rule is scheduled to take effect on March 11; however, challenges to the rule are underway. In the meantime, companies should review the new criteria to see how it impacts their workers.
Speaking of employment laws and trucking, a federal judge recently ordered a motor carrier to collect and submit driver job application data to the government for three years and pay more than $300,000 to a truck driver who is deaf. The driver had applied for a job at the carrier but wasn’t hired because of his hearing disability, despite being qualified.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a suit on the driver’s behalf under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. After a trial last year, the jury found the carrier guilty of violating the ADA and awarded the driver $36 million. The judge, however, reduced the damages.
Turning to poster news, this year penalties will top $42,000 for employers that fail to comply with federal labor law posting requirements. The higher fines, which were adjusted for inflation, apply to penalties assessed after January 15.
While posting fines are typically only levied if an employer willfully and repeatedly violates the law, the fact that the Department of Labor adjusts them each year shows that the agency takes posting compliance seriously.
And lastly, school budgets may be tight, but an Illinois district learned the hard way that limiting the pay of older, higher earning teachers to save money is not an acceptable way to control spending.
In an opinion issued this past November, a U.S. District Court judge found the Urbana school district violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act by capping the salaries of teachers over age 45 to avoid pension contribution surcharges. The complaint was filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of teachers affected by the district’s action.
That’s all the HR news we have time for today. For more information on these topics, click the content links in the transcript below. Thanks for watching. See you next month!