10 Holiday Video Clips to Get You in the Mood

I promised a holiday video clip blow out and that's what you are all going to get. Ideally you'll watch this right before you walk out of the office either today or tomorrow, and these will get you ready for the ensuing events.

This is my holiday gift to all of you whether you prefer to hear Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah (or is it spelled Hanukkah?), Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Festivus or simply Darn, It's Cold Out.

So, without further ado, here are my 10 video clips, in no order of importance:



If you are prone to everything going wrong during the holidays, use Clark W. Griswold as a worst case scenario example. If he can survive, so can you!



Check this clip out even if you don't watch The Office. I would also recommend watching any of the show's Christmas episodes because their office parties have to be the most entertaining office parties ever. Roadkill goose? Sounds delicious to me!



This clip is great because it's several scenes explaining the holiday phenomenon that is festivus. Plus, I'm a little bit of a Seinfeld fanatic, so this clip holds a special place in my heart.



If I ever get on the show Cash Cab and get a Red Light Challenge where I need to spout out Jewish celebrity names, I will reference this song.



Is Lee Majors a great action star? Maybe I'm too young for Lee Majors. This clip is funny though.



Okay, so that was just a song, but the ladies love Michael Buble, so I'm sure they won't mind. (I had to change the song because the first one was taken off YouTube. Enjoy "My Grownup Christmas List".)



I couldn't find a good clip from that classic Rudolph cartoon, except the one I posted earlier. But Frosty the Snowman is a good cartoon as well, even though he doesn't hold a candle to Yukon Cornelius.



I learned those lyrics from this version, which is why I included it.



A clip from this Ohio classic needed to be here or no one would have forgiven me. Sorry if I ruined it for those ready to watch any of the 12 Christmas Day showings on TBS.

And last but not least...



Take this last clip as a warning. Don't be a grinch! Lighten up, it's the holidays.

Are You Paying Liquidation Fees With Your Temporary Service? We Hope Not

What the Holidays Are All About

Thanks to all of you that shared your kind comments and actions in response to the story we shared concerning our sales rep Heather Kutsch and her husband's battle with Huntington's Disease.

Sometimes we really forget how lucky we have it.

No Bailout Here

Ryan Staffing was recently pleased to receive its annual renewal of its self-insured workers' compensation status.

This might not sound like much to most, but to receive this annual renewal we must go through a detailed audit and financial review by the self-insured department of the BWC.

As part of the process, Ryan Staffing must pass a certified audit every year and prove to the BWC that we have the financial stability to self pay and manage our workers' compensation risk.

This is our 11th year of self-insurance. While we utilize CareWorks as our MCO we administer our own claims internally without assistance of a TPA.

Knowing that your staffing company is financially solid should be an important factor in your selection of service. Keep in mind that your company can be held liable for certain payroll tax and workers' compensation liabilities your staffing provider defaults on.

Staffing Tip of the Month - Avoid Liquidation Fees

You should be careful to avoid having to pay placement fees to your staffing supplier, should you decide to transfer a temp on to your payroll.

Many staffing companies use the "temp to perm" service to add revenue to their bottom line. More often than not, liquidation charges are waived only if the temp first complete a fixed number of hours worked at your facility.

The number of hours can vary...the important part is that it's negotiable and should be addressed in advance to avoid surprises.

"Temp to perm" fees can be as high as $1500.00 or more depending on the position.

At Ryan Staffing, we don't believe in liquidation fees, period. We understand that sometimes our client's needs dictate a quick "temp to perm" conversion. We encourage our clients to keep in mind all those money saving reasons for using temps before hiring to fill a full time position.

The emphasis at Ryan Staffing is on long term relationships and charging liquidation fees does not fit the model. The ultimate compliment to our staff is when a client hires one of our temporary employees because we know we have done our job well.

Time to Sharpen Those Skills

Do you know about our online training program? Do you know we offer online clerical training programs to all of our clients and their employees?

With the economy slow and the holidays around the corner, online training can be a productive tool for your staff to use. Check out our blog post for more information.

You Should Check Out Mr. Cheap Stuff

Last week I began my weekly venture of scouring the Web for various money saving tips. This week, I uncovered a new consumer blog that is perfect to profile this far into the holiday season.

I know there are a lot of people who finish their holiday shopping before December 1. But a lot of us thrive under deadline pressure to find that perfect gift.

Luckily for those working on a smaller holiday shopping budget, Mr. Cheap Stuff is here.

15 Ways to Spend Less On Holiday Shopping is a great blog post.

Sure, the list features the normal money saving tips such as making a gift and giving services like a coupon for a free house cleaning.

But the more creative ideas such as using mall Web sites to sign up for promotion newsletters and monitoring prices after purchase (because many stores will provide a refund if the cost of an item you bought there drops within a specific time period, according to the blog)make this list a must read.

The tip of signing up for mall promotion e-newsletters led me to a few mall Web sites where I also found coupons that can be printed straight off the site. Here are some links to local malls:

• Eastwood Mall in Niles
• Southern Park Mall in Boardman
• Summit Mall in Akron
• Aurora Farms Premium Outlets (this is to join their free VIP shoppers club, which is to sign up to get coupons and promotional information)
• Chapel Hill Mall in Akron
• Beachwood Place in Beachwood
• Westfield Mall in Strongsville (there were no coupons, but you can join their mailing list)

And now I'm malled out.

I always like to recommend a visit to The Wallet to treat the personal finance blues. This post gives a bunch of links to financial tips.

Here's a post I found (via The Wallet) about how to escape living from paycheck to paycheck.

The blogger chronicles his transformation from being a paycheck to paycheck survivor with only $500 in savings into a stable father of three. He breaks it down into 10 steps that he took to beat the bad habit.

With all the problems with the economy stemming from people and businesses borrowing too much money, saving seems like a legitimate action for a turnaround.

My final link is to a post on Bizbox, a blog on Slate.com for small businesses.

Chicago Workers Fight For Bank Loans! isn't a post that will save you any money, but it is an interesting story that may all to familiar to local business owners.

A group of 200 laid off workers at a Windows and Doors factory staged a sit in protesting Bank of America's refusal to lend their company money.

This all stems back to the $700 billion government bailout of the financial institutions that was meant so those institutions could continue to lend money (though it is really being used to create even bigger financial institutions).

It's definitely something to think about if you're also having trouble getting a loan to keep your head above water. Remember this next November when several Congressmen who voted for the bailout come-up for reelection.

Here's a classic holiday movie clip to end this post on a happy note. The week of Christmas I'll come back on and post a bunch of holiday clips for everyone to enjoy. Until then, I wish you a happy holiday season.

Beef Up Your Resume With Ryan's Training

Now is the time to improve your job skills and Ryan Alternative Staffing can help.

I posted about Previsor training last week, but I didn't fully explain the advantages of the system to our applicants and current employees.

To get access to our Previsor training, all you need to do is register with Ryan Staffing.

The program offers basic computer literacy training and courses on Microsoft applications Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook. Training programs are at beginner and advanced levels.

Plus, there are specialized training programs. For instance, you can take a program specifically on creating tables and charts in Excel.

There's also training available for Windows Vista, which is sure to creep into every office soon.

We will have all the training features available by January 1 so mark your calendar.

You can register with Ryan Staffing online or at any Ryan Staffing office. If you're interested in the training, you would then need to contact a Ryan Staffing representative after registering.

After letting us know you're interested, we'll send you a link to your training session. You can do the training online from your home.

If you don't want to wait until the first of the year to improve your skills, we are offering our application testing services by appointment.

At our offices, we offer testing on:

• Audio Transcription
• Basic Computer Literacy
• Business Communication, Business Letter Writing and Editing
• Data Entry - Alphanumeric, Numeric and Ten Key
• English Language Comprehension
  
• General Clerical Grammar and Spelling
• Internet Explorer
• Lotus and Access
• Microsoft Programs - Excel, Outlook, Power Point, Word, Windows XP
• Reading Comprehension
• Shorthand
• Four Different Typing Tests
• Word Pro
• Word Perfect

Retaking the tests is a great way to make yourself a better applicant when a clerical opening becomes available. Just call one of our offices to set up an appointment to come into today.

How's Your Wallet Looking? Financial Tips From Around the Web

What a mess this holiday season is.

Tis the season to spend money, but all this talk about recessions and bailouts. Who has time to think of new ideas on how to manage money?

Actually, I have some time.

I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I have all (or any) of the answers when it comes to personal finances. But I do know a lot resources on the Web where you can go and get knowledgeable advice and tips.

There's so much information out there, and I just want to make your life a little easier.

Why will I be doing this regularly on a staffing service's Web site? Because hopefully it will be a useful regular feature to this blog and it'll keep you coming back.

So, sit back from the computer and digest some links and quick tips I picked up surfing the Web. Then get back to doing something that takes your mind off the cruddy economy.

I recommend watching the area's only enjoyable professional sports team, the Cavs (the photo to the right is from cleveland.com).

So, without further ado, here are some links:

Financial Tips from Across the Web

-- Gas prices are down. There supposed to stay that way until the end of the month.

But you can always save money, even if it's only a few bucks. Gasbuddy lets you compare gas prices from your computer chair.

Just enter your zip code or county/city name and a list appears. There's even a feature to get a map if you're unsure where the gas station is.

--Heating your home can be expensive, and it may only get more expensive.

eHow.com puts together a nice eight step list of how to lower heating costs.

I also found the video posted below about zone heating, the idea focusing heat on where you spend the most time in your home. It seems pretty obvious to me and the video is only 90 seconds long.



--There was a lot in the news from Black Friday (mostly bad unfortunately). To avoid the stampedes and chaos, you may want to consider shopping online this holiday season. A lot of retailers are throwing free shipping and exclusive online deals.

Plus, there are sites that let you compare prices fr various retailers (Pricegrabber , Bizrate and Shopzilla to name a few).

Here's a blog on how to become a good shopper.

--My final link is to a Wall Street Journal blog.

I know, when you hear Wall Street Journal, you probably think corporate, big money men who have all day to read the newspaper. But there blogs (and Web site in general) are pretty user friendly.

The Wallet is a roll of personal financial tips. It's regularly updated and I suggest giving it a try.

That's all for now. Let me know if anything looked good on here or if you'd like more information on a topic. Any feedback is encouraged.

Enjoy the beginning of the holidays and if you're a basketball fan, enjoy the Cavs winning streak! (I hope I didn't just jinx them).

Disease Touches Our Sales Representative Heather

photo from The Vindicator/Lisa-Ann Ishihara Mon. November 24, 2008

You may have noticed a story in last Monday's Vindicator about a community rallying around a family coping with illness. That's Heather Kutsch, one of our sales representatives (pictured above) and her family (from left to right Hunter, 9, Mike, and Maddison, 7).

To read the story, you can click here. Three years ago, Mike was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, and the story detailed a fundraiser put on at the Girard First United Methodist Church last Sunday to raise money for for the Kutsch family.

Huntington Disease is a progressively degenerative brain disorder that often results in a person's loss of mental facilities and physical control.

About 30,000 Americans suffer from the disease that develops between the ages of 30 and 50. There is no cure for Huntington's but support services often improve the quality of life.

We understand that times are tough. But if you or your company would like to help support those inflicted with Huntington's Disease, donations can be made online at the Huntington's Disease Society of America's Web site. Click here to go directly to the donation page. Donations can be made through the site, via mail or by fax. You can call HDSA directly at 800-345-HDSA.

Through the Ryan Bunch Foundation, the giving arm of Ryan Alternative Staffing, we recently donated $500 to support the organization.

If you would like to send a message to Heather, she can be reached via e-mail at hkutsch@ryanstaffing.com

Thanks for your time and God Bless.

Do You Know About PreVisor Training?

Do you know if you use Ryan Staffing, you have access to PreVisor clerical training? And it’s not just for our temps, you can use this for all of your employees.

Check out their site by clicking the logo

You can enhance your employees' skills is the following applications:

· Access

· Basic Computer Literacy

· Excel

· Project 2000

· Outlook

· MS Office

· PowerPoint

· Word

This training is available online and all you need to do is contact your Ryan Staffing office. You can e-mail newseditor@ryanstaffing.com or post a comment on this post.

Win Cheech And Chong Tickets By Answering This Month's Poll Question

Go to this link for a chance to win two tickets to see Cheech and Chong in Cleveland. If you answer through the blog (as opposed to the newsletter), you will need to e-mail newseditor@ryanstaffing.com your name so we know you've responded. Or you could post a comment to this post notifying us of your entry.

With the e-mailed newsletters, when you respond to the poll question, we get a list of your name and e-mail address. But with the blog, we can only give you the link, so you'll have to let us know that you want the tickets.

Here's a link to the event. It's on January 30. The winner will be notified via e-mail and announced via the next newsletter and a future post.

Good luck!

Are You Using the Best Background Check Method?

Background checks are a common request among our customers. While other companies rely on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), Ryan Staffing uses a local company to run what we believe to be the most efficient background check.

Sure, the FBI fingerprint cards are a national collection of criminal convictions. However, there is a big hole in that system. For the IAFIDS to be complete, every police station needs to use those fingerprint cards, police need to be regularly submitting cards to the FBI and someone at the FBI needs to enter the cards into their system. Relying on the FBI to enter the cards alone can take months.

Keith Lampe runs his company Infolynx Systems in Northeast Ohio and that's who Ryan Staffing trusts. What Lampe's program does is it searches the 120 different Ohio courts that have online public access, the Ohio sexual offenders database and the Ohio Departement of Corrections database. Because court systems make their records available online in order to meet open record laws, these are the most up-to-date, efficient records of criminal history.

"If you were in county court yesterday, and somebody did a search on you today, then you're going to find that record with our search," Lampe said.

Background checks are never 100 percent because to be that accurate, an employer would need to search every court system in the world, Lampe said. That's just not practical.

Lampe runs his program, which will come up with a list of every hit a query gets. He then pulls that information so that users can view it on Infolynx, and he provides the link to the court database where the record can be found.

"When businesses hear 'nationwide record search,' they think that is going to be every record that there is. The reality is, the best way to get the most information from the primary source, which is the individual court systems," Lampe said.

Sure, you could go to the Trumbull County Clerk of Courts Web site or the Portage County Clerk of Courts Web site or where ever it is you want to look. But if you embark on that task alone, without the resources that Lampe has with his search engine, it will take a significant amount of time. Lampe searches hundreds of these databases in minutes, or about the amount of time it would take an individual to search one court.

Legality is another thing to consider when deciding what background check method is best. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Federal Bankruptcy Act, it is illegal to discriminate against a prospective employee based on bad credit.

It is also illegal to to base an employment decision on age, race, sex, religion, national origin or a disability.

Check out this link for more information on federal background check laws.

Ryan Staffing President Weighs in on Overtime; How To Save You Some Bucks; And a Discrimination Lawsuit

At Ryan Alternative Staffing, we use a 1.4 times rate for all conventional overtime rates invoiced. The savings can add up as the example shows:

Example 1: Pay rate = $8/hour
Mark up -= 40%
Straight time bill rate = $11.20/hour
Overtime bill rate at 1.5% = $16.80

Example 2: Pay rate = $8/hour
Mark up = 40%
Straight time bill rate = $11.20/hour
Overtime bill rate at 1.4% = $15.68/hour

The savings amounts to $1.12/hour or $44.80 per 40 hour work week. If you include the sales tax savings, you are even farther ahead.

Staying Out of Trouble
Last year Ryan Alternative Staffing found itself as a defendant in a lawsuit involving alleged discrimination of an employee that filed a workers compensation claim. The person alleged she was not given her job back at our client after she was released for full duty.

As a reminder to all of our clients Section 4123.90 of the Workers Compensation Code prohibits "Discriminatory acts against those employees that file claims. Specifically, "No Employeer shall discharge, demote, reassign, or take any punitive action against any employee because the employee filed a claim or instituted, pursued or testified in any proceedings under the Workers Compensation Act for any injury or occupational disease which occurred in the course of and arising out of his employment with the Employer".

You may be asking yourself how would a Workers Comp claim filed by a Ryan Alternative Staffing employee impact us? The scenario that we found ourselves defending happened when our client decided they no longer had an opening at their facility after our employee was released to full duty status.

While other circumstances existed, and the matter was settled, the point is that you risk a similar legal challenge if you routinely end assignments of temporary's that file a Workers Comp Claim. You may want to re-visit your policy the next time this comes up.

Staffing Tip of the Month
Does your Staffing Company lower bill rates after a temporary has worked a certain number of hours?

If you answer this question "No", you have a real opportunity here to save some bucks and be a hero to your Boss.

The profit level a Staffing Company makes on the placement of a temporary increases the longer that temporary remains on the same assignment. This happens because the supplier has covered their fixed costs and they don't have the additional expenses of filling replacement orders.

At Ryan Alternative Staffing we recognize how this benefits our margins and we reduce our hourly rate on conventional temporaries after 600 hours on the job. While the reduction varies with each client it is not uncommon for the mark up to go down by 5 to 10 percentage points. On an $8.00 pay rate this can mean a savings or $.40/hr to $ .80/hr plus sales tax.

The important point here is to negotiate. Most Staffing Companies will not volunteer to pass this along unless you ask!

Ryan Staffing Plans To Go Digital

Last month, Ryan Staffing VP Pam Plasky attended the 2008 VCG User Meeting. So what does that mean for you? We are transitioning our business into the digital world. Plasky went to Atlanta to come up with ideas as to how to make our shift as proficient as possible. Here, she answers five questions that you need to read:

Q: What exactly was the VCG user meeting?

VCG is our software company. They design software for temporary services, and their user meeting gives anyone who uses their software the chance to meet and bounce ideas off each other. What we did was talk about different ways to use the software and talk about what kinds of ideas for software advancements. Because it's a nationwide conference, it's nice because you don't have to worry about a competitor taking your ideas.

Q: What did you go down there to specifically find out?

I went to find out how other companies have made the move to being a paperless office. What I learned was that about 90 percent of the companies there have gone or are going paperless.

Q: Is the plan for Ryan Staffing to go completely paperless?

What we aim to do is cut down on the amount of time an applicant needs to spend filling out our application at one of our offices. We are looking to make applying with Ryan Staffing more efficient. Our goal is to make us better at getting more individuals and better at placing them into the best opening.

Q: How will this benefit Ryan Staffing customers?

The easier we make it for people to apply, the more applicants we can get. For instance, if someone wants to apply but works during the week or goes to school, it may be difficult for them to come in and fill out an application. We're trying to make it so they can fill out as much as possible online at their homes. Then, they can come in on a Saturday to sign off on a few pages and sit down for an interview with one of our human resource representatives.

With all this being online, it'll free up the staff from doing tasks such as data entry. Also, applicants will be able to update their information on their own, so we'll have the best information on them. All of this should make us better at putting the best people in the best positions.

Q: What else should Ryan Staffing's customers know about the transition?

Customers can already get log-ins and passwords so they can access their personal account via RyanStaffing.com. There, our customers can read invoices, place orders, view orders and other activities involving our service to them. But those are all things customers already can do. Our transition is really to improve our application process,

RAS President Gives First Staffing Tip of the Month

Minimum Wage: The minimum wage for Ohio employers with 2008 gross receipts exceeding $267,000 will increase from $7/hour to $7.30/hour effective January 1, 2009. Those employers with receipts under the limit still must pay the federal minimum wage of $6.55/hour. Employees under the age of 18 are exempt from the Ohio minimum wage but must be paid the Federal minimum wage.

ADA: Both sides of Congress recently passed the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 which greatly broadens the scope of who is considered an individual with a disability. The Act will overturn four U.S. Supreme Court Decisions.

Obama's Priorities: The Obama agenda on labor issues includes passage of:

• Employee Free Choice Act
• Federal Healthy Famlies Act
• Higher Minimum Wage
• Ban Permanent Replacement of Striking Workers
• Expansion of FMLA

All of these are bad for business and can only create the loss of more jobs locally and nationally.

EEOC and the Staffing Industry: The EEOC last year filed a class action lawsuit against staffing company Area Temps accusing them of racial profiling in matching workers with company requests for people of a certain race.
While this lawsuit is far from resolved it does provide a timely opportunity for Ryan Staffing to re-state its policy against discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender or national origin.
It is also important that all of our clients recognize that on matters involving EEOC issues (and others) we are viewed as co-employers equally responsible for obeying the EEOC laws of the land.

Unemployment Rate Hearing: There's still no word on our appeal of our 2006/2007 rate determination. Did you know that one of the Unemployment Review Commissioners is Sylester Patton from Youngstown. He is a former State Representative that was term limited out of office and appointed to his $100,000+ position by Ted Strickland. To my knowledge, he has no experience with UC legal issues.

Staffing Tip of the Month: DOES YOUR STAFFING COMPANY INVOICE YOUR OVERTIME HOURS AT 1.5 TIMES THE REGULAR BILL RATE?
If the answer is yes, you have a great argument to negotiate a lower rate. Here is why.
Staffing companies make more on overtime hours than straight time hours simply because the pay rate is 50 percent more. Ryan Staffing has never felt a customer should be penalized just because a need exists to work a person more than 40 hours a week.
Ryan Staffing invoices conventional overtime hours at 1.4 times the regular bill rate. It is something worth checking!
*A new regular feature. Please send your questions or comments to tryan@ryanstaffing.com.

Ohio Drops Sick Leave Act, But What Now?

As you probably already know, on September 4 the Ohio Healthy Families Act was removed from the November statewide ballot.

If the issue would have been passed, employers would have to provide seven paid sick days a year, in one hour increments, and a doctor's excuse would not be required if the employee misses less than three consecutive days.

But now the fight may be national.

Democratic Presidential Nominee's wife Michelle Obama said part of the Obama-Biden plan would require employers to provide at least seven sick days and would expand family leave, according to PolitcsWest.com, a Denver Post Web site. Sen. Barack Obama backed his wife's claim during his acceptance speech at last month's Democratic National Convention when he mentioned "paid sick leave."

As for the Democrat majority Congress, the bill titled the Healthy Families Act was introduced in March 2007 by Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Edward Kennedy, according to the Library of Congress Web site.

Like the now discredited Ohio Healthy Families Act, this legislation calls for seven days of sick leave pay and employment benefits annually for employees. The national legislation also calls for sick leave to be calculated on an hourly basis, just like the former OHFA, which would allow employees to leave an hour early 56 times, if he or she would choose to do so.

The general consensus from newspapers and political blogs is that Gov. Ted Strickland and Sen. Sherrod Brown convinced the Service Employee International Union, a group sponsoring the OHFA, to remove the act from the ballot because Strickland and Brown have agreed to push for the early mentioned federal legislation. Brown is listed as co-sponsor on the bill along with Kennedy.

Apparently, Strickland did not want issue on the ballot, urging for compromise among Ohio's employers, the Act's advocates and the state legislatures last July.
What message is Strickland trying to portray to Ohioans? As a Democrat, he supports the legislation because it was proposed and is supported by Democrats. But with unemployment as high as it has been in 16 years, Strickland seems to be against putting himself and Ohio in the forefront of such a movement.
It will be interesting to see if the governor will address this issue in the coming months, and if the presidential nominees will discuss Paid Sick Days in the coming two months, specifically when they roll through Ohio.

If you're interested in more information, here's a link, to a Cleveland attorney's blog, "The Ohio Employer's Law Blog."

Kudos to the Governor

No matter which side of the political fence you stand by, you have to give Governor Strickland credit for his assist in pushing the Ohio Healthy Families Act off the November ballot.

Though Governor Stickland and others of his faith still support similar legislation on the federal level and the payoff included the delivery of thousands of new dues paying union members to the SEIU at least the business community can breathe easy for now.

Give Your Temps a Pat on the Back

Did you know that National Staffing Employee Week started on September 15th?

Last year nearly 421,000 people in the state of Ohio were placed in temporary or contract assignments. Nearly 3 million people per day work as temporary employees across the USA according to the American Staffing Association.

Most impressive is that Ohio staffing firms generate $2.1 billion in annual payroll. The economic significance of this to those in Columbus spending your tax dollars is that these payroll dollars bring in around $200 million in Sales Tax!

Browns Winner

Mr. Kevin Schaack Senior Recruiter at Jo-Ann Fabric was the lucky winner of last months Browns-Steelers contest. We won't share who Kevin rooted for to win.

The survey question involving your company's current business volume activity showed 44 % increasing, 42 % flat and the balance declining. A mixed bag no doubt.

UC Rate Ruling Still AWOL

For those of you that read my tale about appealing our unemployment contribution rate for the past two years in last months issue take heart. No decision has come down from Columbus.

In that it took nearly two years to get to hearing it's not surprising.

Lebron is Back

Visit RyanStaffing.com or answer this issues poll question and win tickets to see Lebron James and the rest of the Cavs battle the Indiana Pacers on Friday November 7, 2008.

Challenging The Unemployment Commission

Sometimes for sport I appeal a different employment related issue that impacts our bottom line. This habit over the past 25 years has taken me before such glamour spots as the Industrial Commission of Ohio in Columbus, the Sales Tax Commission in Akron and many visits to Job and Family Services in Youngstown.

My most recent challenge was to the Ohio Unemployment Review Commission in Columbus after I decided in November 2006 to question the method by which the state was calculating our 2007 Contribution Rate. I did the same for 2008 because the 2007 issue had yet to be set for a hearing. Nearly 21 months later, my hearing date has arrived for both years.

For those of you that do not get involved with the unemployment compensation issue, it is a calculation that even small changes can be quite costly to your business. Experienced rated employees have an account that tracks both your contributions to the fund and the payments out of the fund made by the state to unemployed workers.

Your balance is computed as a percentage of your taxable payroll for the past three years. That percentage corresponds to a rate table that determines your contribution rate. It behooves you to be aggressive in monitoring your account. A contribution rate increase of just 1% can mean $100,000/year in increased payroll tax cost.

The state of Ohio, as part of the system, has created the mutualized account. This is kind of a unemployment compensation limbo for charges the state cannot seem to find a place. We all contribute to this fund as part of our overall contribution rate. The part the state tells us about was .2% in 2008. This is on the rate notice you received at the end of 2007. The other part of your mutualized account contribution, the state does not tell you about was .45% in 2007. This is buried in ORC Section 4141.25 somewhere and requires a Ph.D. in math to understand.

This all gets to the crux of my appeal. Besides not telling you how much of your contribution is being diverted to the mutual fund, you do not receive credit for any of these payments when your yearly contribution rate is determined.

My advice to all employers is to take the time to understand how your Unemployment Compensation Rate is calculated and how you can lower it by challenging claims.

Stay tuned...Next issue I'll let you know how I made out.

RAS President Tackles Minimum Wage, The EFCA And The UC Crisis

Minimum Wage
The Federal Minimum Wage increased to $6.55/hour on July 24. This is still lower than the $7/hour Ohio rate approved by voters two years ago. The Federal rate will move to $7.25/hour next year and the Ohio rate will be adjusted for inflation on January 1, 2009. Stay Tuned.

Equal Pay
Congress is set to vote on the "Paycheck Fairness Act." Among other things, it will eliminate caps on equal pay awards, facilitate class action lawsuits, eliminate employer justification for fair pay disparities and allow all employees to openly discuss their salaries with others. It's Senate sponsored by Hillary Clinton...enough said. Visit Pay-Equality r for more information.

Union Certification
The Employee Free Choice Act (Card Check) would eliminate the expense and worker protection of Secret Ballot Union Elections. It becomes possible that unions can become certified without any elections at all. Learn more by visiting Card Check.

Lucky Winners
The winner of last month's contest for two tickets to the Bridgestone Invitational was Vance Henke, Production Superintendent at RR Donnelly. For visiting our Web site, Mary Jane Hannahs, Employment Specialist at Kent State, received at $50 gas card. Congratulations!

UC Crisis
We are all thrilled to learn that the state unemployment fund is facing a crisis. The fund could run dry by early next year and be $200 million in the red by March 2009. Look for the taxable wage base to be increased from $9,000 to $11,000 and for a .07% surcharge to be levied.
Maybe we should lower benefits and make people work for their checks?