Greetings GMA SHRM Members –

It’s unbelievable that the first quarter of the year has already come and gone, although I am ready for spring and warmer weather! We had an amazing turnout for our March Professional Development Summit with around 150 registrations. Kudos to our Programming Committee for consistently providing engaging and timely topics!
 
You may not be aware that GMA SHRM offers a $1000 Professional Grant to support members with professional development. This not only covers a certification or degree but also attendance at a national or state SHRM conference. If you are a current GMA SHRM member in an HR related position, you should check out the details and how to apply.
 
Our new popular event, Meet, Greet & Eat, will be back again in April. If you are interested in having lunch while getting to know other members, this is being held on April 18^th at the Egg & I. Please RSVP because seating is limited!
 
Our largest programming event of the year is coming up on May 14^th so we are busy preparing for that. We hope you can attend our 2019 Human Capital Conference featuring Dr. Rick Rigsby who will provide both a keynote presentation on Making an Impact and a workshop on Shared Leadership – Building Cultural Value Through Collaboration. There will be many other topics throughout the day on engagement, retention, compensation, benefit strategies and diversity and inclusion. You don’t want to miss it!
 
I hope to see you at an upcoming event this year! Please feel free to reach out to me with questions or feedback at tammy.wacek@wpsic.com.


Take Care,

Tammy Wacek, SHRM-CP, PHR
President
GMA SHRM

Click here to view the full GMA SHRM Board of Directors

 

It’s Back…DOL Releases Their Proposed Overtime Exemption Rule

Submitted by: Jeff Palkowski, Director of Government Affairs GMA SHRM and WI SHRM, SHRM Advocacy Captain (Wisconsin 1st CD)

The long awaited “overtime exemption rule” to increase the overtime salary threshold has finally been released by the US Department of Labor. As you may recall, the previously proposed rule, which would have increased the minimum salary threshold for overtime exemption from the current $23,660/yr up to $47,476/yr, has essentially been on hold in “legal limbo” since November 2016, shortly before the rule was to go into effect.

Since then, the DOL Wage and Hour Division has been developing an updated proposal to revise the regulations, based upon considerable feedback that has been collected and considered over the past 2+ years through listening sessions and submitted comments.

On March 7, 2019, DOL announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding proposed “overtime rule” changes.  According to DOL, the changes proposed include the following: (Source: https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime2019/)
 

• The proposal increases the minimum salary required for an employee to qualify for exemption from the currently-enforced level of $455 to $679 per week (equivalent to $35,308 per year).
• The proposal increases the total annual compensation requirement for “highly compensated employees” (HCE) from the currently-enforced level of $100,000 to $147,414 per year.
• A commitment to periodic review to update the salary threshold. An update would continue to require notice-and-comment rulemaking.
• Allowing employers to use nondiscretionary bonuses and incentive payments (including commissions) that are paid annually or more frequently to satisfy up to 10 percent of the standard salary level.
• No changes in overtime protections for:
  • Police Officers
  • Fire Fighters
  • Paramedics
  • Nurses
  • Laborers including: non-management production-line employees
  • Non-management employees in maintenance, construction and similar occupations such as carpenters, electricians, mechanics, plumbers, iron workers, craftsmen, operating engineers, longshoremen, and other construction workers
• No changes to the job duties test.
• No automatic adjustments to the salary threshold.

Several weeks later on March 22, 2019, DOL announced that the NPRM was officially published by the Office of the Federal Register which then triggered a 60-day period for public comment for the proposal, ending on May 21, 2019. Should individuals wish to provide comment about the proposal, this may done electronically at: http://www.regulations.gov/, referencing rulemaking docket number: RIN 1235-AA20. Comments must be received by the May 21, 2019 deadline for consideration.
 

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Up in Smoke? New Wisconsin Governor Proposes Marijuana Legalization and Host of New Employment Laws

Submitted by: Michael Gotzler, Special Counsel, Littler Global   
Wisconsin employers reviewing Governor Tony Evers’ very first budget proposal may be surprised by the number of the employment-related items.  The substance of those proposals may also catch employers by surprise, with some observers viewing the Evers budget as an effort to erase the employer-friendly legacy of the former governor, Scott Walker.  Presented to the state legislature on February 28, 2019, the Evers budget proposes more than a return to the pre-Walker era, however.  If the new governor’s budget proposal is an indication of his legislative and enforcement priorities, Wisconsin employers should closely consider its specifics.  
 
Many components of the Evers budget proposal seek to undo significant Walker-era laws, including:
 
Repeal Right-to-Work.  In 2015, Wisconsin became the 25^th right-to-work state.  Governor Evers proposes repealing that law in its entirety.  Under current Wisconsin law, collective bargaining agreements cannot require the employer to hire only unionized workers.  A Wisconsin employer and union also may not condition employment on: (1) becoming or remaining a member of a labor organization; (2) paying dues or other amounts to a labor organization; or (3) paying a third party amounts in place of dues to a labor organization.

• Repeal Local Employment Law Preemption.  Under current law, Wisconsin municipalities are prohibited from enacting family leave, hours of work, overtime, and minimum employee benefits requirements.  Governor Evers proposes repealing this law and permitting local regulation of Wisconsin employers.
• Repeal Drug Testing to Determine Unemployment Insurance Eligibility.  Under recent changes to Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance law, some applicants can be drug tested to determine their benefits eligibility.  Governor Evers is asking the Legislature to repeal that law.
• Restore Prevailing Wage Law.  Governor Evers proposes repeal of a very recent law and a return to requiring employers conducting public works projects to pay workers the hourly wage and benefits paid to the majority of workers in the project’s area.
• Repeal Recent Unemployment Insurance Law Changes.  Wisconsin unemployment insurance law underwent significant changes during Scott Walker’s term as governor.  Governor Evers is seeking to address many of those changes by: (1) eliminating the one-week waiting period to receive benefits; (2) eliminating the concept of substantial fault as disqualifying; and (3) repealing statutory work search criteria, including work search requirements for seasonal workers, and instead allowing the Department of Workforce Development to set work search policies.

The Evers’ budget would do much more, however, than repeal certain employment laws enacted during Scott Walker’s time as governor.  Governor Evers also proposes the following:

• Decriminalize Recreational Use of Marijuana.  The proposed budget would decriminalize the possession of up to 25 grams of marijuana for recreational use. 
• Permit Medical Use of Marijuana.  The Evers’ budget would also legalize marijuana for medical use for a wide range of health conditions.
• Minimum Wage Increases.  Evers proposes raising the minimum wage in a series of annual increases from $7.25 per hour to $10.50 per hour by 2023, and then indexing the minimum wage to inflation beginning in 2024. 
• Expand Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave.  Evers proposes expanding current Wisconsin law by: (1) applying the law to employers with at least 25, instead of 50, employees; (2) permitting leave to be taken to care for a grandparent, grandchild or sibling with a serious health condition; and (3) expanding the definition of "qualifying exigency" to include military deployment of a spouse or child, and an unforeseen or unexpected closure of a school or childcare facility.
• Institute “Ban the Box” Protections for Job Applicants.  Evers proposes prohibiting employers from considering or requesting an applicant’s criminal conviction record prior to the applicant’s selection for a job interview.
• Increase Unemployment Insurance Weekly Benefit Payments.  The governor proposes increasing the maximum weekly benefit rate from $370 to $406 and then indexing the maximum weekly earnings wage threshold for benefit eligibility based on changes in the consumer price index. 

Although the November 2018 elections brought about a change in the governor’s office from Republican Scott Walker to Democrat Tony Evers, both houses of the Wisconsin legislature remain Republican-controlled, with Republicans holding a nearly 2-to-1 margin in the Assembly.
 
While passage of most of the Governor Evers’ proposals seems unlikely in light of Republican domination in the state legislature, some Republican lawmakers have already signaled interest in a few of the proposals.  As a result, Wisconsin employers should not assume that all of these proposals will go up in smoke. 
 
Littler will continue to track these proposals and report on any key developments.

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Why I am Advocating at the 2019 SHRM Employment Law and Legislative Conference

Submitted by: Jeff Palkowski, Director of Government Affairs GMA SHRM and WI SHRM, SHRM Advocacy Captain (Wisconsin 1st CD)

NOTE: Originally published on The SHRM Blog on March 5, 2019 prior to the 2019 SHRM Employment Law and Legislative Conference which took place March 18-20, 2019

I’ve always lived by the motto of, “life is a participation sport.” What that means to me is, rather than just sit back and “watch things happen”, I prefer to take the initiative to get involved and when possible, “make things happen.” In my chosen profession of human resources, one way that I choose to try and make things happen is to regularly engage in Human Resources Advocacy. Not unique to the human resources field, advocacy is often a part of many aspects of life including politics, charities, causes, and within organizations. Advocacy is simply defined as “support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy.”
 
One way that I’ve chosen to become involved in organized human resources advocacy is through my participation in the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Advocacy Team, also known as the SHRM A-Team. About seven years ago, I learned of the SHRM A-Team and found out that SHRM had developed an organized network of human resources professionals who could join together as a collective voice to help impact and influence the public policy that affects our workplaces. Over the years, the SHRM A-Team has grown to over 10,000 members and for me personally, provides me with an ideal outlet to connect my profession with my need and desire to promote positive change.
 
For the third time in the past two years, I am looking forward to advocating as a SHRM Advocacy Captain on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. This opportunity will take place as part of the SHRM Advocacy Day in conjunction with the 2019 SHRM Employment Law and Legislative Conference. If you are not familiar with the SHRM Employment Law and Legislative Conference, in summary it is over 600 human resources professionals who gather in Washington, DC to receive public policy updates, hear from individuals directly involved in either reporting or making the news, and are provided with a unique experience for attendees to speak directly to their federal elected officials and staff about workplace issues that are critical to our industry.
 
While this will be my third visit, a lot has changed since my last visit in 2017. Majority control has changed in the House of Representatives, I now have a new freshman Congressman, and the issues that we will be advocating for on behalf of SHRM have also evolved. I’m looking forward to speaking with my Wisconsin Senators Baldwin and Johnson as well as my Congressman Steil about important workplace issues which include: SHRM’s Getting Talent Back to Work initiative to help give qualified applicants with a criminal record consideration for employment opportunities; the Employer Participation in Repayment Act, which would provide incentives to employers to provide tax-free student loan repayment assistance; as well as other HR issues such as workplace flexibility, paid leave, immigration, and the proposed federal overtime rule.
 
There is no better motivation for me to get out and advocate than knowing that my voice and the collective voices of my industry colleagues are being heard by our elected officials in Washington, DC. Sharing our individual stories, ideas, and even workplace challenges can be an effective way to help our legislators know that their constituents from their home districts care enough about these issues to come out to Washington, DC to meet with them personally. It is important to understand that advocacy should not be considered a one-time event, but rather an ongoing process to ideally build relationships to continue to inform and engage our elected officials and ultimately encourage their support and action to address issues important to all of us and our workplaces.
 
“One voice can change a room, and if one voice can change a room, then it can change a city, and if it can change a city, it can change a state, and if it change a state, it can change a nation, and if it can change a nation, it can change the world. Your voice can change the world.” – President Barack Obama

Professional Development

GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in February 2019!

Ashley	Baker		Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
Jeremy	Duffy	PHR	Wisconsin Army National Guard
Val	Edwards		P2G Consulting, LLC
Heather	Harvey		Stoughton Trailers, LLC
Jan	Koenig		Summit Credit Union
Hannah	Kunkel		Stoughton Trailers, LLC
Stephanie	Mansfield	SHRM-CP	Colony Brands Inc
Amber	Newkirk	SHRM-CP	Sanimax
Tanya	Radock		Peachtree Hotel Group
Jody	Skallerud	SHRM-CP, PHR	BrightStar Care
Susan	Thomson		ActionCOACH Business & Executive Coaching
Stephanie	Winans		Springs Window Fashions
Sheridy	Zimmerman		Spectrum Brands

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Movin' Up

Have you started with a new company? Has your organization recently promoted you to a new position? Or do you want to recognize a new person or promotion within your department? If so, we want to hear about it. Send us an e-mail, and we’ll publish your good news in the next HR InTouch!  
 

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In Transition

If you are a member who is in between jobs, or who is currently employed but seeking new positions or career paths, write us a brief description of your skill set, areas of expertise, what you’re looking for, etc. Send us an e-mail. We’ll publish your information in the next HR InTouch.

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HR InTouch Guidelines

Article Writing:

Do you have an interest in writing for the HR InTouch? We have an interest in learning more about your area of expertise!

Why should you volunteer? Top three reasons: 1) to share your knowledge and experiences to educate others; 2) to become more connected in the HR and Dane County communities; and 3) to contribute towards the advancement of GMA SHRM and the HR profession.

The first step is for you to choose a submission option: you can pre-submit an article to GMA SHRM at any time for us to use in any of the upcoming newsletters, you can sign up to write for a particular month, or we can put you on a list of people to contact in future months whenever we need articles.

Article length:

Because the HR InTouch is now in an online format, the size is flexible. The article should be engaging and hold readers’ attention. Include the core information in your article, and we will advise if it is too lengthy.

Solicitation:

GMA SHRM is conscious not to allow solicitation through the articles, in an effort to protect the interests of our partners and members. The nature of the article should be educational (i.e., what are the business advantages of having a product like yours) or informational. Otherwise, if you truly are interested in advertising through the HR InTouch, you can work with our Marketing Committee. As a rule of thumb for article writing, if the submission relates to a for-profit event, or specifically markets your company (vs. your industry), it is an advertisement, and should be purchased. If it is a not-for-profit event that your company is hosting, or an announcement (i.e., a SHRM member recently joined your company), it is an acceptable addition to the HR InTouch content. If you have any questions related to the appropriateness of your submission, please contact us.

If you have questions, or to submit an article, contact GMA SHRM at chapteradmin@gmashrm.org .