The ACA mandates that employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) provide a notice to employees with information regarding their coverage options, including those available in the Marketplace, by October 1, 2013. The ACA added section 18B to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requiring all employers subject to the FLSA to send the Marketplace Notice.
Employers must send or provide the Notice to all employees, regardless of whether or not they are eligible for or enrolled in coverage under an employer-sponsored health plan. Therefore, employers must send or provide the Marketplace Notice to part-time, seasonal, or temporary employees in addition to sending or providing the Notice to full-time employees. While the initial notification is required to be provided to all current employees by October 1, 2013, employers must also send or provide the notice to new employees hired after October 1, 2013 within 14 days of such employee's date of hire.
Pursuant to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), individuals and employees will be able to access health insurance coverage through a private health insurance market - the Health Insurance Marketplace - beginning on January 1, 2014.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Living Wage for Washington Vetoed
Washington, D.C.'s Mayor Vincent Gray on Thursday vetoed the so-called "living wage bill" that would have required big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart to pay workers at least $12.50 an hour.
“While the intentions of its supporters were good, this bill is simply a woefully inadequate and flawed vehicle for achieving the goal we all share,” said Gray in a statement. Formally called the Large Retailer Accountability Act of 013 (LRAA), Gray's statement said the bill would have harmed job growth and economic development.
The bill had set up a clash between the mayor, the bill's supporters and the big retail chains that was being watched closely by labor and other cities across the nation. Workers at retailers and fast food restaurants have been holding increasingly large and vocal protests to boost the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Businesses have argued that raising the wage would end up harming workers by reducing jobs.
Wal-Mart had said it would not build three of six planned stores if the D.C. bill became law. The D.C. Council approved it in July on an 8-5 vote, which is one short of a veto-proof majority. Major U.S. retailers, also including Target Corp. and Home Depot Inc., had opposed the bill.
The bill would only affect retailers with stores of 75,000 square feet or larger, at least $1 billion in annual sales and non-unionized workforces.
The bill isn't totally dead, however. Washington, D.C.'s council can override the veto with a two-thirds vote within 30 days, according to The Washington Post. That vote could come as early as Tuesday.
“While the intentions of its supporters were good, this bill is simply a woefully inadequate and flawed vehicle for achieving the goal we all share,” said Gray in a statement. Formally called the Large Retailer Accountability Act of 013 (LRAA), Gray's statement said the bill would have harmed job growth and economic development.
The bill had set up a clash between the mayor, the bill's supporters and the big retail chains that was being watched closely by labor and other cities across the nation. Workers at retailers and fast food restaurants have been holding increasingly large and vocal protests to boost the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Businesses have argued that raising the wage would end up harming workers by reducing jobs.
Wal-Mart had said it would not build three of six planned stores if the D.C. bill became law. The D.C. Council approved it in July on an 8-5 vote, which is one short of a veto-proof majority. Major U.S. retailers, also including Target Corp. and Home Depot Inc., had opposed the bill.
The bill would only affect retailers with stores of 75,000 square feet or larger, at least $1 billion in annual sales and non-unionized workforces.
The bill isn't totally dead, however. Washington, D.C.'s council can override the veto with a two-thirds vote within 30 days, according to The Washington Post. That vote could come as early as Tuesday.
Jobless Claims - Data Clouded by Technical Glitch
The number of new U.S. jobless claims fell sharply last week but much of the decline appeared due to technical problems in claims processing, clouding the last major reading of labor market health before a Federal Reserve meeting.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 31,000 to a seasonally adjusted 292,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
That was the lowest level of claims since 2006, confounding analysts' expectations for a mild increase.
But a department analyst said the majority of the decline appeared to be because two states were upgrading their computer systems and did not process all the claims they received during the week. One of the states was large and the other small, the analyst said.
While the drop in claims should be taken with a grain of salt, it doesn't change the view that employers appear to have ended a long cycle of elevated layoffs that began around the 2007-09 recession.
That has helped shape the view of Fed officials that the labor market is improving, and fueled expectations the U.S. central bank will start reducing a massive monetary stimulus program as early as its policy meeting next week.
The four-week moving average for new claims, which smoothes out volatility, had in prior weeks already fallen to its lowest levels since 2007. Last week, it fell by 7,500 to 321,250.
The claims report showed the number of people still receiving benefits under regular state programs after an initial week of aid fell 73,000 to 2.871 million in the week ended August 31. (As reported by NBC news.)
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 31,000 to a seasonally adjusted 292,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
That was the lowest level of claims since 2006, confounding analysts' expectations for a mild increase.
But a department analyst said the majority of the decline appeared to be because two states were upgrading their computer systems and did not process all the claims they received during the week. One of the states was large and the other small, the analyst said.
While the drop in claims should be taken with a grain of salt, it doesn't change the view that employers appear to have ended a long cycle of elevated layoffs that began around the 2007-09 recession.
That has helped shape the view of Fed officials that the labor market is improving, and fueled expectations the U.S. central bank will start reducing a massive monetary stimulus program as early as its policy meeting next week.
The four-week moving average for new claims, which smoothes out volatility, had in prior weeks already fallen to its lowest levels since 2007. Last week, it fell by 7,500 to 321,250.
The claims report showed the number of people still receiving benefits under regular state programs after an initial week of aid fell 73,000 to 2.871 million in the week ended August 31. (As reported by NBC news.)
Friday, September 6, 2013
Unemployment and Older Workers
The unemployment rate for workers aged 55 and over was 5 percent in July, according to the most recent data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's still higher than historical averages but it's much lower than the overall unemployment rate of 7.4 percent, and below the unemployment rate for any younger group of workers.
Workers aged 55 and over also are the only ones to have seen their ranks grow substantially since 2007, the year the nation went into recession. There were 31.6 million employed people aged 55 and over in July, according to the BLS, up from 25.9 million in July of 2007. That's partly demographics: As baby boomers age, more are becoming part of the 55-plus group.
The unemployment rate for Americans 55 and older is lower than for any other age group the government tracks, and far below the national average. But if an older workers loses a job, the length of time that person will stay unemployed is typically much longer than for any other age group.
The government is scheduled to release August unemployment numbers on Friday, and forecasters are expecting the economy to have added around 200,000 jobs.
Workers aged 55 and over also are the only ones to have seen their ranks grow substantially since 2007, the year the nation went into recession. There were 31.6 million employed people aged 55 and over in July, according to the BLS, up from 25.9 million in July of 2007. That's partly demographics: As baby boomers age, more are becoming part of the 55-plus group.
The unemployment rate for Americans 55 and older is lower than for any other age group the government tracks, and far below the national average. But if an older workers loses a job, the length of time that person will stay unemployed is typically much longer than for any other age group.
The government is scheduled to release August unemployment numbers on Friday, and forecasters are expecting the economy to have added around 200,000 jobs.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Unemployment, August 2013
U.S. employers added 169,000 jobs in August and much fewer in July than previously thought. The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate dropped to 7.3%, the lowest in nearly five years. But it fell because more Americans stopped looking for work and were no longer counted as unemployed. The proportion of Americans working or looking for work fell to its lowest level in 35 years.
July's job gains were just 104,000, the fewest in more than a year and down from the previous estimate of 162,000. June's figure was revised to 172,000, from 188,000. The revisions lowered total hiring over those two months by 74,000.
Employers additionally have added an average of just 148,000 jobs in the past three months, well below the 12-month average of 184,000.
Another concern is that most of the hiring in August was in lower-paying industries such as retail, restaurants and bars, continuing a trend that began earlier this year. Retailers added 44,000 jobs and hotels, restaurants and bars added 27,000.
July's job gains were just 104,000, the fewest in more than a year and down from the previous estimate of 162,000. June's figure was revised to 172,000, from 188,000. The revisions lowered total hiring over those two months by 74,000.
Employers additionally have added an average of just 148,000 jobs in the past three months, well below the 12-month average of 184,000.
Another concern is that most of the hiring in August was in lower-paying industries such as retail, restaurants and bars, continuing a trend that began earlier this year. Retailers added 44,000 jobs and hotels, restaurants and bars added 27,000.
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