MEETING MINUTES – March 10th, 2004

Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Association held on at Renaissance Hotel in Asheville.  Should you have any questions, comments or corrections, please contact Bridget Downey, PHR, our Chapter Secretary.

Chapter Business:
The meeting was opened by President Renee Anderson, SPHR, who welcomed all visitors to our meeting.   Renee raffled off our door prize, a cookie bouquet from Cookies by Design. 

Montreat College is sponsoring a job fair at their Asheville campus on Saturday, May 8th, 2004 from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm.  If you have positions to fill, please contact their Asheville office at 800-806-2777.

Frank Pomeroy introduced Ted Dippy of Partners in Justice, our featured Vendor for the month.  Ted spoke to us about Identity Theft Safeguards.    Ted noted that, since organized crime has found out about identity theft, you have a 1:3 chance of being a victim if you own your own home and have good credit.
Anyone wanting more information can contact Ted at tdippy@prepaidlegal.com.  Suggestions for protecting yourself include:

1. Sign up with a monitory service.

2. Do it yourself

3. Use the services of Identity Theft Shield through Partners in Justice.  They offer restoration services, and have access to the Social Security Administration, Secret Service, IRS, Credit Bureaus, Department of Justice and FBI.

Program Highlights:

Jon Yarborough introduced Magistrate Judge Cogburn, who works exclusively on employment cases.  Judge Cogburn noted that every employer needs to have good legal advice.  The number one determinant in employment cases is, “Did the company treat the employee fairly?” 

Judge Cogburn’s suggestions for staying out of legal trouble include:

·        Document all along the way, including decisions and the reason behind decisions.

·        Don’t give in to the temptation to retaliate.

·        Minimize decision-makers to avoid inconsistencies.

·        Have a reporting process and make it known to everyone in the organization.

·        Teach supervisors the importance of respect.

·        Be consistent, whatever you do.

Some interesting items from the talk included the fact that age discrimination cases almost never go to trial.  It is permissible to let someone go if that person is the highest earner.  ERISA cases are rarely found in the employer’s favor.  Before taking actions consider: What is Right?  What is fair?  NOT what saves the most money?  On the witness stand, physicians often say what they are paid to say.  Reasonable accommodation still means that the employee must be able to do the job.

Judge Cogburn’s final piece of advice was: Have a process.  Let everyone know.  Stick to it.

Announcements:

George May discussed the new FLSA amendments.  Despite rumors to the contrary, they are still on track for implementation by March 31, 2004.  George also noted that the Department of Labor is aggressively enforcing compliance in nursing homes.  Of particular concern are positions such as Activity Directors, which do not qualify for exempt status, but are often classified as such.

Rachel Smith of Karpen Steel announced that her plant is doing well, and was able to give a 2-½ % wage increase this year.  

Ellen Westerbrook of Job Link is a new member, and will be giving us a monthly update.  They provide many services for employers.

Frank Pomeroy announced that there are still a couple of spaces left this year for the vendor program.  It is a good way to get exposure for your organization, and the proceeds go to our scholarship fund.  Give Frank a call at 828-254-7009 if interested.

The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 noon on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 at the Renaissance.    

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.