Colorado Employment Law Blog

New Law Gives Colorado Employees Leave for Parent-Teacher Conferences

June 9, 2009
By Tobie Hazard

Governor Bill Ritter (D) signed on June 1 H.B 1057, the Parental Involvement in K-12 Education Act, which requires employers of 50 or more employees to grant leave to employees to attend their children’s academic activities. The new law takes effect August 4, 2009.

Colorado Governor Signs New Law on Independent Contractors

          On June 2, Governor Bill Ritter signed into law HB 1310, which provides significant penalties for misclassifying individuals as independent contractors.  For willful violations, a business may be fined up to $5,000 per misclassified employee for the first offense, and up to $25,000 per misclassification for subsequent violations.  This new law only adds to the existing misclassification pitfalls, including potential fines, penalties and liability associated with failure to pay appropriate payroll taxes, minimum wage or overtime, and benefits.  Such penalties add up quickly if a large number of individuals were misclassified. 

Court provides guidance on non-discriminatory hiring

By Brad Williams

 

            The Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals  recently affirmed a lower court’s rejection of a job applicant’s discriminatory hiring claim.  In so doing, the Court provided guidance on how employers may select the best applicant for a job, without simultaneously inviting a lawsuit.

Tips for Minimizing Risk When Cutting Labor Costs

By Mark Wiletsky

          Although we are beginning to see signs of an economic recovery, many organizations are still grappling with how to stay competitive in this challenging environment.  Layoffs, furloughs, and other methods used to cut personnel costs are often part of the equation.  But the savings gained by these cost-cutting measures can be lost if employees later sue the company and embroil the company in expensive litigation.  The good news is that organizations can often avoid turning cost-cutting measures into expensive headaches by avoiding these four common mistakes in reducing personnel costs.

 

Partner Made Member of WVPI Committee

Partner Steve Gutierrez has been invited to sit on the Workplace Violence Prevention and Intervention (WVPI) Committee. The WVPI Committee was established to develop the joint WVPI American National Standard-- the first of its kind.

Workplace violence presents one of the most challenging security problems a company can face. The WVPI Standard will provide information and practical methods that will enable a company to develop an effective plan for prevention and intervention. The WVPI Standard will provide an overview of general policies and processes companies can adopt to thwart violence in the workplace.

Gutierrez was selected as a committee member for his extensive background and experience with workplace violence. As a committee member, Gutierrez will review and help create content for specific sections of the WVPI Standard. 

ASIS International and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) are collaborating on the development of this standard, and the Committee is comprised of both organizations' members. 

Workplace violence presents one of the most challenging security problems a company can face. The WVPI Standard will provide information and practical methods that will enable a company to develop an effective plan for prevention and intervention. The WVPI Standard will provide an overview of general policies and processes companies can adopt to thwart violence in the workplace.

Gutierrez was selected as a committee member for his extensive background and experience with workplace violence. As a committee member, Gutierrez will review and help create content for specific sections of the WVPI Standard. 

ASIS International and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) are collaborating on the development of this standard, and the Committee is comprised of both organizations' members.