Last week we talked about new requirements being placed on employers as a result of President Obama’s economic stimulus package. Terminated employees are getting a 65 percent federal subsidy if they elect continuing health care coverage through their former employer under COBRA, but it’s the former employer that has to initially pay that portion of […]
Working together on immigration
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— PostedThe issue of comprehensive federal immigration reform is bringing together business leaders, unions and the faith community, according to an article published in The Sunday Oregonian (Portland, Ore.). All three are working together because they sense the opportunity to get something done in the current Congress: “It’s very symbolic that we’ve decided to go in […]
Employer alert: COBRA changes
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— PostedThe American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, otherwise known as the “stimulus package,” includes a 65 percent health insurance premium subsidy for eligible workers who use the COBRA program after being involuntarily terminated. This federally-paid benefit, which lasts for up to nine months, is intended to help former employees avert a major drain on […]
Card check consequences
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— PostedProposed card check legislation, also known as the Employee Free Choice Act, is one of the main concerns of business groups this year. Now the Law and Economics Consulting Group (LECG) has a report out concluding that if passed, the act would increase union membership, but it would also increase unemployment due to higher wage […]
‘The last thing employers need’
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— PostedThe hot issue in Washington, D.C. right now is the much-discussed economic stimulus package, which has evolved and changed over the course of negotiations between Senate leaders, Obama administration officials and other involved parties. One of the provisions that could affect nursery owners would be the Kingston amendment, which is part of the House-approved version […]
Attrition by recession?
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— PostedAnti-immigrant groups have talked about being in favor of “attrition by enforcement” – that is, giving undocumented workers incentive to leave the country by stepping up enforcement at workplaces. However, a report at the CNN Web site indicates that many immigrants, who came here to fill jobs Americans couldn’t or wouldn’t during the boom times, […]
Judge places Columbia County measure on hold
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— PostedColumbia County’s controversial Measure 5-190, approved by that county’s voters in November, was supposed to take effect today. The measure would have penalized businesses that employ undocumented immigrants. However, Columbia County Circuit Court Judge Ted Grove ruled on Friday that the measure cannot be enforced until legal questions surrounding it have been sorted out. Plaintiffs […]
Card check fight heads to airwaves
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— PostedWith a new Congress now in session, pro-union advocates are taking to the airwaves with a campaign promoting the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). This proposal, often called the “card-check bill,” would allow union organizers to represent workplaces in which they can get 50 percent plus one of the employees to sign a card favoring […]
OAN legislative agenda
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— PostedThe Oregon Association of Nurseries announced its federal and state legislative agendas for 2009. On the federal level, the top priority continues to be comprehensive immigration reform, which includes border security, an adjustment of status for workers currently in the United States, and a visa system that is flexible and provides for a future flow […]
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— PostedNow that the historic moment has passed and President Barack Obama has been sworn in, expect to start seeing (and hearing) more analysis on how the new administration will affect agriculture and the nursery industry. Here’s a well-rounded piece from the California Farm Bureau Federation.
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