{"id":18569,"date":"2016-01-08T15:44:43","date_gmt":"2016-01-08T20:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2016\/01\/business-report-is-2016-open-for-business.html"},"modified":"2017-11-08T13:46:30","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T18:46:30","slug":"business-report-is-2016-open-for-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2016\/01\/business-report-is-2016-open-for-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Report: Is 2016 Open For Business?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\"michael\n<\/div>\n
\n

Michael Billok is a member of Bond,
\nSchoeneck & King’s Albany office.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

BY MICHAEL BILLOK<\/p>\n

Like time, the regulatory landscape never stops
\nmoving. To that end, a key question on employers’
\nminds is this: What new laws and regulations are
\ngoing into effect in 2016, and how will they affect
\nmy business?<\/p>\n

New Overtime Exemption Rules<\/strong><\/p>\n

In July of 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor
\n(USDOL) proposed sweeping changes to
\nthe overtime rules, such that millions of fewer
\nemployees would be exempt from overtime. Currently
\nunder federal law, in order to be exempt
\nfrom overtime under the executive, professional
\nor administrative employee exemptions, an employee
\nmust earn at least $455 per week. (State
\nlaw requires minimum amounts of $675 per week
\nfor executive and administrative employees).<\/p>\n

Under the proposed new rule, those employees
\nwould need to earn at least $970 per week in
\norder to still be exempt from the requirement
\nto pay them overtime for any time worked over
\n40 hours in a week. According to the USDOL’s
\nrulemaking schedule, the final rule should be
\nissued by July 2016. Once this rule goes into
\neffect, millions of employees that were earning
\nbetween $23,660 and $50,440 annually and were
\npreviously exempt, will suddenly be subject to
\novertime requirements.<\/p>\n

New Injury and Illness Reporting Rules<\/strong><\/p>\n

In November of 2013, the U.S. Occupational
\nSafety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed
\nrules that would drastically change how
\nemployers track and report their injuries and
\nillnesses. This new rule is set to go into effect soon
\nas well, as OSHA has stated it intends to publish
\nthe final rule in March of 2016. Currently employers
\npost annually, but do not submit, the OSHA
\nForm 300A that contains reportable injuries and
\nillnesses incurred over the past year.<\/p>\n


\nThe proposed rule would require employers
\nwith 250 or more employees to submit detailed
\ninjury and illness reports quarterly, and a summary
\nannually. Many employers with 20 or more
\nemployees in field that may be perceived as more
\nvulnerable (such as construction companies,
\nmanufacturers, utilities, hospitals, and nursing
\nhomes) must also submit a summary annually.
\nMost troubling is OSHA’s stated intention to make
\nthis submitted information available to the public.<\/p>\n

The Women’s Equality Act<\/strong><\/p>\n

The federal government can’t have all the
\nfun. Last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed eight
\nbills into law under the common rubric of the
\nWomen’s Equality Act. Several of these laws have
\nsignificant effects on employers.<\/p>\n

First, the New York Human Rights Law generally
\nexempts employers with less than four
\nemployees from its scope. But now, even employers
\nwith 1-3 employees may be subject to investigation
\nby the state Division of Human Rights
\nregarding complaints of sexual harassment.
\nSecond, employers now must provide reasonable
\naccommodations to all pregnant employees, not
\njust those with a pregnancy-related disability.<\/p>\n

Third, employers may not prohibit employees
\nfrom discussing wage information–and while
\nthis was already the case for non-supervisory
\nemployees under the National Relations Act,
\nthe state law does not exclude supervisors from
\nits scope. This means that under the new law
\nemployers may not preclude supervisors from
\ndisclosing their wage information.<\/p>\n

Finally, employers must meet new requirements
\nto demonstrate pay equity in order for
\nthem to show that any differences in pay between
\nmen and women in similar positions are due
\nto “a bona fide factor other than sex, such as
\neducation, training, or experience.” In short, the
\nWomen’s Equality Act provisions, which go into
\neffect Jan. 19, present a bevy of new requirements
\nfor employers.<\/p>\n

New OSHA Penalty Matrix<\/strong><\/p>\n

OSHA has been so busy preparing changes
\nfor 2016 that it gets a second mention. Last year,
\na provision was inserted into a hastily passed
\nbudget bill that allows OSHA to increase its penalties
\nby up to 82 percent by Aug. 1. This means
\nthat the maximum penalty amount for repeat or
\nwillful citations will increase from $70,000, to
\napproximately $125,000. Based on the guidance
\nOSHA issued in late 2015 regarding how it plans
\nto revise its inspections, and its plans to focus on
\nareas in which higher penalties may be awarded,
\nemployers must be even better prepared for an
\nOSHA inspection in 2016.<\/p>\n

New Minimum Wage Rules for the Fast
\nFood Industry<\/strong><\/p>\n

Employers are fully aware of the increase in
\nminimum wages for the fast-food industry, and
\nthe governor’s efforts to similarly raise wages in
\nall industries. As of Jan. 1, certain tipped workers
\nwho fall under New York’s Hospitality Industry
\nWage Order must be paid at least $7.50 per hour
\nand may only receive a maximum “tip credit” of
\n$1.50 per hour. Covered fast food workers outside
\nNew York City must be paid at least $9.75 per hour
\n(increasing to $15 per hour by 2021).<\/p>\n

The New Year brings quite a number of
\nchanges, and potential pitfalls for employers. Be
\naware, be prepared, and be prosperous.<\/p>\n

Michael Billok is a member of Bond, Schoeneck
\n& King, where he is associated with the firm’s Albany
\noffice. He represents employers in a variety
\nof labor and employment-related areas.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michael Billok is a member of Bond, Schoeneck & King’s Albany office. BY MICHAEL BILLOK Like time, the regulatory landscape never stops moving. To that end, a key question on employers’ minds is this: What new laws and regulations…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":25057,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-reports"],"yoast_head":"\r\nBusiness Report: Is 2016 Open For Business? - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2016\/01\/business-report-is-2016-open-for-business\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Business Report: Is 2016 Open For Business? - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Michael Billok is a member of Bond, Schoeneck & King's Albany office. 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