W. Garnett & Associates: Human Capital Management Solutions » Fines http://wgarnett.com Human Capital Management Solutions For The REAL World Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:00:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Immigration Paperwork Audit Catches Employers by Surprise http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/immigration-paperwork-audit-catches-employers-by-surprise/ http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/immigration-paperwork-audit-catches-employers-by-surprise/#comments Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:21:11 +0000 wgarnett http://wgarnett.com/?p=4369 Immigration Customs Enforcement audits are surprising employers around the country.  Until recently, Form I-9 infractions have not been top of mind because it’s just a one-page form filled out during the new hire process. The odds of an ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency) inspector showing up on your doorstep were miniscule. However, the risk has significantly increased over the last few years.  ICE fines are costing businesses thousands of dollars per audits.

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]]> http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/immigration-paperwork-audit-catches-employers-by-surprise/feed/ 0 Could This Be Your Company – Olive Garden Restaurant Agrees to Pay Back Wages http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/could-this-be-your-company-olive-garden-restaurant-agrees-to-pay-back-wages/ http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/could-this-be-your-company-olive-garden-restaurant-agrees-to-pay-back-wages/#comments Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:18:56 +0000 wgarnett http://wgarnett.com/?p=4148 All companys should have systems, policies and procedures to in place to actually track employee wages.  Darden Restaurants Inc., doing business as the Olive Garden in Mesquite, today has agreed to pay $25,570 in back wages after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that 140 current and former servers were not properly paid as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. The company also has been assessed $30,800 in civil money penalties to be paid to the government.  If you are interested in learning more about what Olive Garden Restaurant should have done link to the article below.

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W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-303-658-9342

]]> http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/could-this-be-your-company-olive-garden-restaurant-agrees-to-pay-back-wages/feed/ 0 ICE Fines Abercrombie & Fitch http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/ice-fines-abercrombie-fitch/ http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/ice-fines-abercrombie-fitch/#comments Sat, 30 Oct 2010 15:22:10 +0000 wgarnett http://wgarnett.com/?p=3841 Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of ICE HSI for Ohio and Michigan, noted that “[e]mployers are responsible not only for the people they hire but also for the internal systems they choose to utilize to manage their employment process and those systems must result in effective compliance.”  Mr. Moskowitz went on to state that “the settlement should serve as a warning to other companies that may not yet take the employment verification process seriously or provide it the attention it warrants.”

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W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910

]]> http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/ice-fines-abercrombie-fitch/feed/ 0 $450,000 Fine Hits Landscape Company http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/450000-fine-hits-landscape-company/ http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/450000-fine-hits-landscape-company/#comments Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:02:42 +0000 wgarnett http://wgarnett.com/?p=3080 According to the news release, Peach Tree Maintenance Inc. employed a combination of foreign and local workers. Twenty-four employees were hired under the federal H-2B “nonimmigrant program that permits employers to hire foreign workers to meet a temporary need for nonprofessional, nonagricultural skills.”

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W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910

]]> http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/450000-fine-hits-landscape-company/feed/ 0 Cincinnati Firm Fined After Worksite Investigation http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/cincinnati-firm-fined-after-worksite-investigation/ http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/cincinnati-firm-fined-after-worksite-investigation/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:31:25 +0000 wgarnett http://wgarnett.com/?p=2918 Employers are required to complete and retain a Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This form requires employers to review and record the individual’s identity document(s) and determine whether the document(s) reasonably appear to be genuine and related to the individual. The fine relates to I-9 violations at Koch’s Fairfield, Ohio, facility. The company has cooperated with ICE in the investigation employing the use of E-Verify and ensuring that its policies and procedures are in compliance with legal requirements.

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W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910

]]> http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/cincinnati-firm-fined-after-worksite-investigation/feed/ 0 Keeping the Department of Labor Off Your Doorstep http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/keeping-the-department-of-labor-off-your-doorstep/ http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/keeping-the-department-of-labor-off-your-doorstep/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:10:38 +0000 wgarnett http://wgarnett.com/?p=2920 The report surveyed more than 4,000 workers in three cities and concluded “employment and labor laws are regularly and systematically violated,” with 1.1 million workers having at least one pay-based violation per week. The study concluded that front-line workers lose more than $56.4 million per week in underpaid wages. Claiming violations in virtually every major urban industry, the report found.

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W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910

]]> http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/keeping-the-department-of-labor-off-your-doorstep/feed/ 0 ICE Gets Paid After Massive I-9 Audit http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/ice-gets-paid-after-massive-i-9-audit/ http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/ice-gets-paid-after-massive-i-9-audit/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:46:43 +0000 wgarnett http://wgarnett.com/?p=2923 On February 8th, ICE fined Koch Foods over half a million dollars for employing more than 160 undocumented workers at their poultry processing plant near Cincinnati. The company paid the fine on February 9th – one day later.  Most people don’t have a cool $536,046 on hand to cope with that kind of sudden expense (although that would be nice). The average employer would more likely be facing bankruptcy.

Link to article.

W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910

]]> http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/ice-gets-paid-after-massive-i-9-audit/feed/ 0 How To Avoid Lawsuits In The Workplace http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/how-to-avoid-lawsuits-in-the-workplace/ http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/how-to-avoid-lawsuits-in-the-workplace/#comments Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:53:03 +0000 wgarnett http://wgarnett.com/?p=2820 What is causing lawsuits in the workplace.  Many employers get caught up in the rush to hire new employees and fail to take basic steps in the hiring process. Employers should be patient and use available screening tools. They should use an employment application form with legal disclaimers such as: employment is “at will,” and no one can change that status except in writing; the employee is subject to drug testing at any time; and statements on the application and in the screening process are truthful. References should be solicited using a separate form authorizing a background check. Other essential screening tools include in-person interviews; drug and alcohol testing; criminal, educational, credit and/or driving-record checks.

Read the full article linked below.

http://djcoregon.com/news/2010/01/12/for-employers-how-to-avoid-lawsuits/

W. Garnett & Associates

Human Capital Management

1-888-884-3910

]]> http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/how-to-avoid-lawsuits-in-the-workplace/feed/ 0 EEOC Headaches and Lawsuits Still Exists for Companies http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/eeoc-headaches-and-lawsuits-still-exists-for-companies/ http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/eeoc-headaches-and-lawsuits-still-exists-for-companies/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:00:07 +0000 wgarnett http://wgarnett.com/?p=2769  

Government agencies are still on the move looking for violators.  The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is busy – continuing to accuse companies of violating federal employment laws. In the aggregate, the companies have paid millions of dollars to settle the claims.

Even Seattle-based Nordstrom was accused of harassing black and Hispanic employees, which the company denied doing, but felt compelled to pay alone. 

 

The American Ballet Theatre was blamed for age discrimination in the firing of a 74-year-old trumpeter. Auto-parts supplier Delphi was charged with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act after demanding access to medical information from workers returning from sick leave. The financial-services company, Bloomberg, was accused of pregnancy bias. There was even a $1.8 million settlement in a same-sex harassment and retaliation case involving United Healthcare of Florida.

Read the full article below.

 

http://www.kirotv.com/images/sponsors/biz/how_to_avoid_eeoc_headaches_and_lawsuits.pdf

W. Garnett & Associates

Human Capital Management

1-888-884-3910

]]> http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/eeoc-headaches-and-lawsuits-still-exists-for-companies/feed/ 0 A Company’s Immigration Compliance Is Vital To Avoid Fines And Criminal Sanctions http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/a-companys-immigration-compliance-is-vital-to-avoid-fines-and-criminal-sanctions/ http://wgarnett.com/wes-blog/a-companys-immigration-compliance-is-vital-to-avoid-fines-and-criminal-sanctions/#comments Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:30:33 +0000 wgarnett http://wgarnett.com/?p=2743 Avoiding fines and sanctions are critical to company success.  Since the 2003 establishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, the agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws at the work-site, restaurant owners and operators have been a favorite target of government investigations. High-profile raids have occurred across the country, and a number of employers—both large and small—in the industry have been subject to civil fines, penalties and even criminal charges.

Read the full article linked below.

Read more: http://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?keyword=&menu_id=1508&id=376912#ixzz0a3qos8OZ

http://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?keyword=&menu_id=1508&id=376912

W. Garnett & Associates

Human Capital Management

1-888-884-3910

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