Vision Payroll

The Division of Labor & Worker Safety of the Ohio Department of Commerce announced recently that, effective January 1, 2010, the minimum wage for the state of Ohio will remain at $7.30 per hour for non-tipped employees and $3.65 for tipped employees. The minimum wage will apply to employers who gross more than $267,000 per year. As a result of a constitutional amendment that passed in 2006 an adjustment to the minimum wage must be applied on January 1 of each year. The adjustment is tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for urban wage earners and clerical workers for the 12-month period prior to September. The 0.2% decrease in the CPI will result in no change for 2010. Contact Vision Payroll if you have any questions on the Ohio minimum wage increase or visit our Minimum Wage Chart.

Thursday, November 26, 2009 will be Thanksgiving Day, a federal holiday. The offices of Vision Payroll will close Thanksgiving Eve, November 25 at 3 pm EST and re-open Friday November 27. Most banks will also be closed in observance of the holiday. Payroll changes and hours must be submitted before the processing deadlines as listed below.

Payrolls dated November 26 will be paid November 25 unless a previous change in schedule has been submitted.

There will be no UPS ground delivery on November 26 or November 27, so we strongly recommend submitting payrolls during this time as early as practicable. The next federal holiday will be December 25, 2009, Christmas Day. Contact Vision Payroll as soon as possible to make changes to or for questions on your processing schedule.

The Division of Labor of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment recently promulgated Colorado Minimum Wage Order 26, which decreases, effective January 1, 2010, the minimum wage for the state of Colorado from $7.28 to $7.24 per hour. Pursuant to the inflation adjustment requirement of Section 15, Article XVIII of the Colorado Constitution, the minimum wage must be adjusted each year effective January 1. Contact Vision Payroll if you have any questions on the Colorado minimum wage increase or visit our Minimum Wage Chart.

The unemployment rate rose from 9.8% to 10.2% in October, and nonfarm payroll employment continued to decline (-190,000), the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently. The largest job losses over the month were in construction, manufacturing, and retail trade.

In October, the number of unemployed persons increased by 558,000 to 15.7 million. The unemployment rate rose by 0.4 percentage points to 10.2%, the highest rate since April 1983. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons has risen by 8.2 million, and the unemployment rate has grown by 5.3 percentage points.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (10.7%) and whites (9.5%) rose in October. The jobless rates for adult women (8.1%), teenagers (27.6%), blacks (15.7%), and Hispanics (13.1%) were little changed over the month. The unemployment rate for Asians was 7.5%, not seasonally adjusted.

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was little changed over the month at 5.6 million. In October, 35.6% of unemployed persons were jobless for 27 weeks or more.

The civilian labor force participation rate was little changed over the month at 65.1%. The employment-population ratio continued to decline in October, falling to 58.5%.

The number of persons working part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) was little changed in October at 9.3 million. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

About 2.4 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in October, reflecting an increase of 736,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 808,000 discouraged workers in October, up from 484,000 a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The other 1.6 million persons marginally attached to the labor force in October had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

This week’s question comes from Suzanne, a payroll administrator. We reviewed the calendar for 2010 and realized we need to make some changes to our payroll schedule. How do we change our payroll schedule for 2010? Answer: You should have received or will shortly be receiving your Payroll Processing Schedule for 2010. This schedule will already reflect changes for holidays in 2010. Employers should review the schedule not only for changes that weren’t made, but to ensure that the holiday week changes built into the schedule have been implemented correctly. If any further changes are needed, send an annotated copy of your 2010 schedule to Vision Payroll as soon as possible so that we may update your schedule for the changes.

According to the US Department of Labor, in the week ending October 31, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 512,000, a decrease of 20,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 532,000. The 4-week moving average was 523,750, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week’s revised average of 526,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 4.4% for the week ending October 24, unchanged from the prior week’s unrevised rate of 4.4%.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending October 24 was 5,749,000, a decrease of 68,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 5,817,000. The 4-week moving average was 5,886,250, a decrease of 79,500 from the preceding week’s revised average of 5,965,750.

The US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed updated guidance for employers of all sizes to use as they develop or review and update plans to respond to 2009 H1N1 influenza season. Employers play a key role in protecting employees’ health and safety, as well as in limiting the negative impact of influenza outbreaks on the individual, the community, and the nation’s economy.

The HR Professionals at MyHRSupportCenter have developed a Pandemic Illness Guide that employers may review to help them prepare for the 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza season. Topics covered include the following:

• Planning for Fall and Winter Influenza Season
• Appropriate Response Strategies for Employers
• Preparedness and Response Recommendations
• Important Components of an Influenza Pandemic Plan
• Action Guide for Employers

To learn more be sure to login to MyHRSupportCenter, click Essentials, then Guides, and then search for H1N1. If you’re not yet signed up or would like a free trial of MyHRSupportCenter, contact Vision Payroll today.

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries announced recently that pursuant to Revised Code of Washington §49.46.020, the minimum wage for the state of Washington will remain at $8.55 per hour for 2010. The law requires an adjustment to the minimum wage be calculated each year. The adjustment is tied to the change in the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the 12 months ending in August. Since there is no provision in the law to decrease the minimum wage when the CPI declines, the wage will remain unchanged. Contact Vision Payroll if you have any questions on the Washington minimum wage or visit our Minimum Wage Chart.

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry announced recently that pursuant to Montana Code Annotated 39-3-409, the minimum wage for the state of Montana will remain at $7.25 per hour. The law requires an adjustment to the minimum wage that must be calculated no later than September 30 of each year. The adjustment is tied to the US City Average Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers for All Items for the 12 months ending in August. Since there is no provision in the law to decrease the minimum wage when the CPI declines, the wage will remain unchanged. Contact Vision Payroll if you have any questions on the Montana minimum wage or visit our Minimum Wage Chart.

Director Darwin Ching of the Hawai‘i Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) has announced an increase in the taxable wage base for 2010. The wage base will increase from $13,000 for 2009 to $37,800 for 2010. Contact Vision Payroll if you have any questions on Hawai‘i unemployment taxable wage base or visit our Unemployment Taxable Wage Base page.