Hagel and Company Human Resources Blog - California, Idaho, Washington State HR News

President Obama signed legislation on December 19, 2009, that extends the eligibility period for the COBRA subsidy. Originally, only those involuntarily terminated through December 31, 2009 were covered. The timeframe has been extended to individuals who are involuntarily terminated through February 28, 2010. Additionally, the legislation extends the length of time in which eligible employees will receive the subsidy, extending the period from nine months to fifteen months.

For up to date information on this legislation visit: https://www.hr411.com/legal-updates/?lu=6947992 

We are proud to announce that we’ve been named to the Sage America President’s Circle again!  This is awarded to the leading sales producers among SBS business partners representing a host of segment-leading brands, including Sage Accpac ERP, Sage Timberline, Sage MAS 90 ERP, Sage SalesLogix, Sage Abra HRMS (human resource management system), Sage FAS Fixed Assets and others.

I attribute the company’s success to the dedication and hard work of all the employees of the company and to the loyalty of its 500+ customers across the Western and Southern United States.

Thank you to everyone who helped us achieve this goal!

Federal Minimum Wage Increases July 24, 2009
June 23, 2009

On July 24, 2009 the Federal minimum wage will be increasing from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour. The Federal Minimum Wage Law establishes a minimum wage rate per hour for all non-exempt workers.

This marks the final leg of a scheduled three phase increase. The increases took place as follows: $5.85 per hour as of July 24, 2007, $6.55 per hour as of July 24, 2008, and $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009.

Employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage provisions are required to comply with the law (state or federal) that allows for a greater minimum wage to be paid to the employee. Many states have minimum wage laws which are more stringent than federal regulations. If this is the case, employers must comply with their state-specific minimum wage requirements.

Many states have also chose to increase their minimum wage rates to $7.25 per hour effective July 24^th in order to coincide with the federal change, including:

• Maryland
• Montana
• Nebraska
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• South Dakota
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia

Tip Credit:

Employers are required to pay tipped employees (defined as employees regularly earning more than $30 per month in tips) no less than $2.13 per hour, provided each employee earns enough tips to bring their average hourly wage to at least the State minimum wage. Any deficiencies must be supplemented by the employer so that the employee’s average hourly wage with tips reaches the minimum wage level.

“Opportunity” Wages:

Employers are allowed to pay an “opportunity wage” of $4.25 per hour to employees under 20 years of age during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment. However, employers are strictly prohibited from displacing employees in order to hire youth at the opportunity wage rate.

Posting requirements:

Employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must post the Federal minimum wage notice in a conspicuous place. An updated poster will be required if your current minimum wage poster does not include the federal 2009 minimum wage rate of $7.25 per hour.

HR411 Membership

This information was provided by HR411 and Hagel & Company to help you. If you would like a complimentary membership to HR411 please email angela@hagel.net with HR411 in the subject line. Thanks!

We recognize that customer service is more important than ever during these difficult economic times. Our customers are feeling the same pressures that everyone is to contain costs, be more efficient, be more responsive, etc. We are making all efforts to support our customers in new ways, more effective ways and ways that show we truly appreciate the long term relationships that we have built. We encourage you to provide feedback for us at every opportunity to help us continue to serve you well! 

We were very pleased to receive the following email from Jack Grady at Services Group of America yesterday. It was addressed to Aaron Simon, our Vice President for Implementation and Training.  

From: Jack Grady

Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 2:11 PM
To: Aaron Simon
Subject: Thanks from Services Group of America

 Hi Aaron,

   I just wanted to take a second to thank you personally for all of your help these past couple of months. We have had quite a few fire drills recently and wanted to commend you on your prompt responses and valuable advice. It’s hard to find companies these days that still uphold a high standard of customer service and we wanted to take a second to recognize it. Thanks again for all of your assistance.

   Thanks,

     Jack

 About Services Group of America

 Services Group of America (SGA) is a privately-held corporation with industry-leading companies in foodservice, real estate and other services. Owned and led by Chairman & CEO Thomas J. Stewart, the company employs more than 4,000 associates nationwide and is ranked 154 on the Forbes’ Largest Private Companies in the U.S. list. http://www.servicesgroupofamerica.com/l