Stay Current, Stay Connected!

By Tony Enger, MEA Chair

As a business owner, we wear many hats aside from Electrical Contractor. In smaller companies, this is even truer. Although staying current on HR changes may not be what you thought you would be dealing with in your career, it is crucial to avoid fines to the business. Changes that have passed over the last few months can affect benefits and pay that you are required to give to your employees. MEA is a great resource to find out more about this information to stay on top of the ever-changing business world.

Overtime for Non-Exempt Employees… the salary threshold, where most salaried workers are entitled to overtime compensation, will increase from $455 per week to $913 per week as of December 1, 2016. You will want to ensure that all of your employees are categorized correctly between exempt (salary) and non-exempt (hourly). For all who are non-exempt, you will need to compensate them for all hours over 40 in a week that are worked. Read more about this new regulation in the article from Tim Pass (Accountant, Smith Schafer & Associates) on page 12.

Minneapolis Paid Sick Leave… Starting in July of 2017, Minneapolis employers will be required to provide sick leave to all full-time and part-time employees. Employers with more than six employees will need to provide paid sick leave, and those with fewer than six employees will be required to provide unpaid sick leave. All employee handbooks will need to be revised to include this ordinance. This ordinance will apply to employees based in Minneapolis and employees who regularly work in Minneapolis. (“Regularly Work” hasn’t been defined). Visit MEA’s website for more information on this new ordinance: http://tiny.cc/2aldcy
 
2016 Legislative Session… A lot of topics have been discussed at this year’s legislative session in a short amount of time, and it may not be completely over! With the talk of a special session to look at the bonding bill, there may be more action in St. Paul. Thankfully, we have Bill Strusinski representing us at the Capitol. Read Bill’s article on page 3 for more details on the 2016 legislative session and how new laws and regulations may affect your business.

MEA Summer Conference… To stay as up to date as possible on all things new in the industry, join us at the summer conference in August! Sneak Peek at the 2017 NEC, new tools and devices at the product show, government action update from Bill Strusinski, networking, family outings, and so much more. The schedule is packed with education and fun!