Call Us 919-240-4054Senate Democrats, with the help of only two Republicans, were finally available to break the deadlock over the extension of unemployment benefits. President Obama signed the bill this past Thursday. This bill provides a continuation of the program of extended benefits for those who exhaust the standard 26 weeks of unemployment benefits. Read more here. Although this bill […]
North Carolina
Government enforcing child labor and wage laws for farmworkers in North Carolina
The New York Times has this article about the Obama Administration’s effort to enforce the child labor and wage and hour laws on farms, and describes the effort in North Carolina in particular. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) contains several exceptions for farmworkers, but sometimes-ignored restrictions of child labor are apparently now being more vigorously […]
House passes unemployment extension without COBRA benefits; Senate yet to act
On May 28, 2010, the House passed a watered-down jobs bill. It extends the extra unemployment benefits program for another six months, though those benefits have now expired as of the end of May. Significantly, the House bill did not include an extension of the expanded COBRA program for health insurance. The Senate has yet […]
Valerie speaking at 2009 workers’ compensation CLE on benefits for state employees
Valerie Johnson is speaking at tomorrow’s NCAJ 2009 Workplace Torts and Workers’ Compensation CLE, to be held in Chapel Hill. Valerie’s presentation topic and paper are entitled State Employee Benefits and Workers’ Comp: 2009 Update. One of the significant changes to be discussed is that Corvel Corporation is now the administrator of workers’ comp benefits on behalf […]
Unemployment extension finally passed
The Senate finally passed the extension for unemployment insurance last week, and it was promptly signed by President Obama on Friday. The extension was originally passed by the House in September, but it had been held up in the Senate by Republicans. The extension will provide 20 additional weeks of benefits for unemployed workers in […]
Costs of workers’ compensation declining for companies
Despite employers’ continual complaints that workers’ compensation costs too much, North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin has approved a nearly 10 percent decrease in workers’ compensation insurance policy rates. This demonstrates that a good workers’ compensation system, such as North Carolina’s, can both fairly compensate injured workers and be affordable for companies.