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DECEMBER 2000
TAKE YOUR KID TO WORK? Companies
participating in high school job-shadowing programs may soon
face a choice: higher insurance rates or no more kids at
work. Two children were killed in a freak accident at John
Deere manufacturing plant in Welland, Canada. The two teens
were participating in Take Our Kids to Work Day, an annual
program for grade 9 students. Their deaths will prompt a
close examination of liability issues. It has been recognized
that visiting industrial manufacturing plants is different
than visiting an office. Obviously, this program will be
further studied.
CALIFORNIA AND FEDERAL POSTERS
AVAILABLE: California Industrial Welfare Commission
(IWC) wage order posters are now available on their web
site or by telephoning California Department of Industrial
Relations at (415) 703-5050. Free posters regarding federal
labor laws are available from the U.S. Department of Labor
from their web
site.
EARN AND LEARN: Earn
and learn is what UPS recruiters are telling part time student
workers. Some students find it’s just what they need. United
Parcel offers to pay up to $15,000 in fee reimbursements
and $2,000 yearly in forgivable student loans or a lifetime
maximum of $23,000 in educational aid. Students must be willing
to unload boxes part time in the company’s transport hub.
By offering workers the enticement of college aid, UPS hopes
to gain an advantage in the competition for low-wage part
time work. UPS’ willingness to pay more than $9 million in
education assistance yearly shows how scarce those workers
have become in a heated economy. In Los Angeles alone, nearly
600 workers have taken advantage of the program. The participants
are 30% more likely to remain with the company than other
workers according to the company.
COMMUTER BENEFITS: Businesses
are helping to cover employee costs of parking, transit passes
and van pooling. The IRS has proposed new regulations clarifying
and simplifying how employers can set up these plans by salary
reduction. In one plan, employees can choose to reduce their
salaries, up to certain amounts, to pay expenses on a pretax
basis, according to an Ernst & Young spokesman. In other
cases, employers pay. Business owning parking facilities
often let employees park free but must tax the benefit it
its value exceeds certain limits. Qualified parking expenses
of as much as $180 a month may be excluded next year, up
from $175 this year. There won’t be any change next year
in the $65 tax-free monthly benefit for transit passes and
van-pooling. Consult your accountant for further details. |
