Verify through E-Verify

As most employers know, the US government has long struggled with how best to ensure that employers hire only legal, documented workers. From the I-9 form to no-match letters from the Social Security Administration, officials have been waging a tough war against unauthorized employment, one which they’ve largely been losing. Enter E-verify, the governments new(ish) and largely voluntary online system for checking social security numbers against the Department of Homeland Security databases.

According to the DHS website, “E-Verify is free and voluntary, and is the best means available for determining employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.” The program’s most compelling selling point to date is that voluntary use of e-verify protects the employer against a later determination that the employee was not authorized to work. Effective January 15, 2009 E-verify won’t be voluntary any more, at least not for federal contractors. The general consensus seems to be that mandatory use for the rest of us is only a matter of time.

Snuffed out

Effective September 11, 2008, the rest of Pennsylvania joined Philadelphia in banning smoking in most workplaces. There are exceptions available for tobacco-related workplaces, hotels, certain bars, and private clubs, however, many of those exemptions are subject to approval by the commonwealth. The law, entitled the Clean Indoor Air Act, also requires that employers post no smoking signs and forbids discrimination against employees who attempt to enforce their rights to a smoke-free work place. The Pennsylvania Labor and Employment Department has posted additional information about the ban on its blog (how very high tech of them!).

The city of Philadelphia’s ban is more comprehensive than the state ban, and remains in force.

Federal Minimum Wage increases to $6.55

Effective July 24, 2008 the Federal Minimum Wage increases to $6.55. This isn’t all that interesting for Pennsylvania employers, who are subject to the Commonwealth’s higher minimum wage of $7.15.

An additional increase slated for July of 2009 will eliminate the disparity, resulting in a common minimum wage of $7.52.