Articles by Girish Anand

December 9, 2015

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WHD Now Demanding Liquidated Damages in Wage-and-Hour Settlements

The Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the wing of the Department of Labor (DOL) that enforces the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), not only has beefed up its membership and its enforcement activities, but is now also demanding liquidated (doubled) damages in its settlements with employers over back wages. The FLSA has always provided for liquidated damages for back wages, but the WHD in the past g...

December 8, 2015

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BLS Predicts Robust Job Growth in Health Care

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released employment projections data about the labor market from 2014 to 2024. Looking at the labor market 10 years in the future yields data and information job seekers can use when choosing a career or determining the education and training needed for job success, according to the BLS initiative. For example, fast-growing occupations show how the econ...

December 6, 2015

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HHS to Release Consumer Rights Guidance on Health Records

As part of the Obama administration's Precision Medicine Initiative, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hopes to release by the end of the year four documents detailing consumer rights regarding their health records, according to Deven McGraw, HHS deputy director for health information privacy. She said the documents, likely in FAQ format, would cover four common areas of concer...

December 4, 2015

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First Safety Violation Conspiracy Conviction of a CEO

Former Massey Energy Chief Executive Officer Don Blankenship earned the dubious distinction yesterday of becoming the first CEO to be convicted of conspiracy to violate federal safety laws, though the charge is only a misdemeanor with a maximum one-year jail sentence. William Taylor, Blankenship's attorney, maintained that the "case never should have been brought," as it involved only corporat...

December 3, 2015

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Health Care Costs for 2014 Reach $3 Trillion at 5.3% Clip

Spending on health care in the United States totaled $3 trillion in 2014, fueled by expanded coverage under Obamacare and by a 12.2 percent surge in prescription drug spending. The increase came at a 5.3 percent clip after a five-year average of 3.7 percent annual increases. The figures were released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a wing of the Department of Health an...

December 2, 2015

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Federal Wage-and-Hour Lawsuits Hit All-Time High

According to federal data parsed by the law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP, fiscal 2015 ending Sept. 30 saw a record number of federal wage-and-hour lawsuits. The tally hit 8,781, up 7.6 percent from the 2014 fiscal year. The report on the law firm's blog didn't break down the lawsuits by industry. Wage-and-hour lawsuits are based on provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and the Departme...

December 1, 2015

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USCIS Seeks Public Comments on Changes to Form I-9

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published a notice in the Federal Register to inform the public of proposed changes to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The public may provide comments on the proposed changes for 60 days, until Jan. 25, 2016. Many of the proposed changes to Form I-9 are intended to help reduce technical errors and help customers com...

November 25, 2015

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EEOC Issues 2015 Performance Report

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) achieved record results in its enforcement efforts during fiscal year 2015, which ended Sept. 30, the agency reported in its annual Performance and Accountability Report published recently. "In this 50th anniversary year of the Commission, we recognize the progress we have made and the challenges we have ahead," said EEOC Chair Jenny R. Yang. ...

November 22, 2015

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DOL Releases Fall 2015 Regulatory Agenda

On Nov. 20, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its Fall 2015 Regulatory Agenda, giving anticipated implementation dates for some rules that have been in their final stages for quite some time. For instance, its Slips, Trips and Falls Final Rule is listed as being implemented in April 2016, and its controversial rule to raise the salary limit on the overtime-exempt status to $50,440 a year ...

November 21, 2015

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Administration Asks SCOTUS for Immediate Relief on Immigration

Facing somewhat long odds, the Obama administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court for an immediate stay on a federal district court injunction against its immigration executive orders that would free up nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation and also grant many of them work permits. The most notable of these executive actions are two programs, Deferred Action for Parents...

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About author

Girish Anand

Recent Articles

Practical articles on HR, Safety, compliance, and people operations—written for real businesses, not legal textbooks.

U.S. Department of Labor Officially Restores Prior Overtime Exemption Rules

On May 14th, 2026, the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced it has officially rescinded the 2024 overtime exemption rules. Specifically, the WHD published a technical amendment to restore previous 2019 regulations that dictated overtime exemptions for...

NLRB General Counsel Takes Action to Tackle Current Case Backlog

On May 6th, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and NLRB General Counsel Crystal Stowe Carey announced the bulk transfer of thousands of labor practice cases. Specifically, this action fulfills an initiative signed by the NLRB General Counsel earlier this year. Overall, the initiative...

Privacy Agency Invites Comments from Businesses on the CCPA’s Usage of Personal Data

Recently, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) issued a call for comments on the current state of personal data collection under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Specifically, the invitation to deliver remarks was issued on April 20th, 2026. The information provided by the...

DOL Proposes New Joint Employer Rule To Unify Standards Under Federal Labor Laws

In April 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a proposed rule to establish a single, clear standard for determining when joint-employer status applies under three major federal laws: the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the Migrant and Seasonal...

DOL Updates Enforcement Approach for Employee Benefit Plans: What Employers Should Know

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced a significant change in its enforcement of employee benefit plan rules. The DOL will now focus more closely on serious violations that harm workers and retirees, meaning compliant employers may face less scrutiny under the updated approach.

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Articles by Girish Anand