The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is seeking comment through February 1 on a four-year strategic plan, and it’s important for employers to know what that plan means to them.

The draft of the 2012-2016 plan calls for the agency to:

• fight employment discrimination through law enforcement;
• prevent discrimination through education and outreach; and
• improve delivery of services to the public. read more…

The minimum wage in Vermont will increase to $8.46 per hour from $8.15 per hour on January 1, 2012, according to a statement from the Vermont Department of Labor.

The state minimum wage increases at the same rate as the Consumer Price Index, as calculated in August, for the preceding year or at five percent, whichever is less.

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As the new year approaches, a number of states will see index-driven increases to their minimum wage rates. Specifically, Arizona, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington will each add around 10 cents per hour to their existing wage rates, based on an increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of a little more than one percent from August 2009 to August 2010. Two other states, Florida and Missouri, have chosen not to adjust their indexed wages.

In Arizona, the state minimum wage will increase from $7.25 to $7.35 per hour and will remain at that rate throughout the next year. Tipped employees’ hourly wages also will increase 10 cents, from $4.25 to $4.35. The new minimum wage must be posted in an area where employees can read the poster, such as the break room.

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