What is the impact of child labor laws?

Child labor laws are in place to prevent minor children from being forced to work in ways that are considered detrimental to them. Child labor laws state that children under the age of 14 cannot hold jobs.

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Your Rights as a Cancer Patient in the Workplace

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits employers, specifically governmental entities and private employers with 15 or more employees, from discriminating against employees or qualified job applicants based on disability, including cancer. This article discusses your rights in the workplace as a cancer patient.

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Can my employer take my retirement money if I’m fired?

If you have a retirement plan with an employer, and are then fired from the company, that employer can’t take away any money you have contributed to the retirement plan in the case of a 401(K). In the case of a pension plan where the employer is also contributing to your retirement fund, i.e. through a contribution-matching program or other clause, it’s possible that the employer is legally allowed to take back any contributions they have made to the fund. Whether or not your employer will have the ability to do this will depend on whether you are vested in the retirement plan.

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Do I have to pay for my own health insurance while I’m off on workers comp?

Whether or not your employer needs to provide you with health insurance while you are off on workers comp is a very complicated question to answer, and one you are going to need a lawyer for. While many states, including Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Rhode Island and Washington DC have laws mandating that employers either pay for health insurance for workers comp employees or compensate for lost health insurance benefits along with lost wages, ERISA or the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 preempts these state laws. Thus, you will need to determine if you and your employer are covered by ERISA.

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Can an employer change insurance policies without giving the employees any notice?

Absent a union contract, or an agreement that runs to the benefit of the employees (such as an employment agreement), employers are generally able to change the employer sponsored insurance policy at any time, with or without permission of employees. Employers never have to put the issue to a vote of employees, and while they are compelled to act in accordance with ERISA and other laws, there is no obligation to stay with the same insurance company for the employer sponsored insurance.

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