HR Headlines  National Walmart Agrees to Pay up to $640M to Settle Wage and Hour Suits January 05, 2009 - Walmart Stores, Inc. has agreed to pay up to $640 million to settle 63 wage and hour class action lawsuits that have been pending against the company for several years in more than 40 states. Merrill Lynch Agrees to Pay $1.55M to Settle Religious-Bias Suit January 05, 2009 - Merrill Lynch has agreed to pay $1.55 million to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit accusing the company of firing an Iranian Muslim worker because of his religion and national origin. Be sure to check HR.BLR.com's News section for all the latest stories. White Papers  How Government Bailout Requirements Affect Your Company January 05, 2009 - Your company is not a recipient of the government’s $700 billion Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), so the bailout’s rules don’t impact you. Or do they? Before you decide, we encourage you to understand the requirements and their impact on executive compensation. Some of the requirements bring long-standing pay issues into sharper focus, and many experts believe all companies should expend some effort to understand them. Expert Explains Important Changes in Final FMLA Regs December 09, 2008 - After a long delay, the Department of Labor (DOL) released final regulations revising the Family and Medical Leave Act. Proposed regulations were issued in February 2008, but the revisions do not become effective until January 16, 2009. And, there are some significant changes throughout the more than 750 pages. We asked Susan L. Schoenfeld, J.D., BLR’s specialist in FMLA, to explain them. Be sure to check HR.BLR.com's White Papers section for all the latest stories.

HR Forums  • Re: Is eating goodies in another dept OK? • Laying off an employee after Worker's Comp • Re: Layoff Read about all the latest discussions in the HR Forum What's New  New FMLA Rules Resources Center HR.BLR.com now has a resource center to help you ensure that your organization is in compliance with new Family and Medical Leave Act rules that go into effect January 16, 2009. The resource center includes regulatory analysis, guidance, FAQs, forms, a poster, news articles, and white papers--all of which cover the new FMLA rules. Please note that the new poster and forms shouldn’t be used until January 16, 2009. Visit the FMLA Resource Center Posters: • Minimum Wage • Wage and Hour Law • Minimum Wage (2009) Be sure to regularly check the What's New page for the full list of newly added content. HR Poll  Will your organization be ready on January 16 to comply with the new FMLA regulations? Yes No We aren’t covered by FMLA View previous polls

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