Drivers for app-based, ride-hailing and delivery services filed a lawsuit on January 12 to overturn a California ballot initiative that makes them independent contractors instead of employees eligible for benefits and job protections. The lawsuit filed with the California Supreme Court said Proposition 22 is unconstitutional because it limits the power of the legislature to […]
Siemens Canada is paying out $3.4 million in one-time bonuses to Canadian workers in appreciation of their extra work during the coronavirus pandemic. The company said the payments, which will go to all employees apart from senior managers by the end of this year, work out to about $1,550 per eligible employee. Read: Managing the holiday party, bonus […]
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. employers are embracing flexible working arrangements and considering adopting a hybrid model for rewards and pay, said a report by Willis Towers Watson. The report showed a majority (59 per cent) of employers surveyed have workers who are currently telecommuting, including 25 per cent who are able […]
Walmart Canada Corp. is giving new cash bonuses to its employees, saying the “appreciation bonus payment” recognizes their ongoing dedication during the coronavirus pandemic. The move follows similar announcements made by other companies in recent weeks, including Sobeys Inc., and could put pressure on more retailers to offer so-called hero pay to essential workers as the […]
Sobeys Inc. is bringing back pay premiums for staff in locations where coronavirus lockdowns are in effect. Parent company Empire Co. Ltd. has reinstated ‘hero pay’ in Manitoba, Toronto and Ontario’s Peel Region as rising cases of the virus in those areas have prompted the shutdown of non-essential businesses. Each week, eligible employees will see between $10 […]
Provincial finance ministers have been quietly prodding Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to pause planned increases in the premiums employers and employees pay into the Canada Pension Plan. The planned increase on Jan. 1, 2021 is part of a multi-year plan approved by provinces and the federal government four years ago to boost retirement benefits through the public plan by […]
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is proposing new rules that would allow gig workers to be partially paid in company equity. If adopted, the proposed rules would be in effect for a five-year period and allow employers to pay gig workers up to 15 per cent of their annual compensation in equity, to a […]
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is asking the federal government to hold Canada Pension Plan premiums at current levels next year when they’re scheduled to rise, as employers and employees struggle with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. According to the organization, approximately one third of small businesses are currently losing money and higher payroll taxes […]
Bee-Clean Building Maintenance janitors in British Columbia ratified their first collective agreement on Monday, winning employer-paid health and dental benefits, paid sick days and a wage boost. Employees who are members of Services Employees International Union Local 2 reached the tentative agreement on Friday, mere days before they were set to picket at various locations across B.C.’s Lower […]
Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc. and other app-based ride-hailing and delivery services spent $200 million in a winning bet to circumvent California lawmakers and the courts to preserve their business model by keeping drivers from becoming employees eligible for benefits and job protections. The titans of the so-called gig economy bankrolled the most expensive ballot […]