About Ahlers & Cooney's Client Alerts
Our Client Alerts are intended to provide occasional general comments on new developments in Federal and State law and regulations which we believe might be of interest to our clients. The Client Alerts should not be considered opinions of Ahlers & Cooney, P.C., and are not intended to provide legal advice as a substitute for seeking professional counsel. Readers should not under any circumstance act upon the information in this publication without seeking specific professional counsel. Ahlers & Cooney will be pleased to provide additional details regarding any article upon request. Additional copies of this Client Alert may be obtained by contacting any attorney in the Firm or by visiting the Firm's website at www.ahlerslaw.com.
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NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC The determination of the need for legal services and the choice of a lawyer are extremely important decisions and should not be based solely upon advertisements or self-proclaimed expertise. This disclosure is required by rule of the Supreme Court of Iowa. Memberships and offices in legal fraternities and legal societies, technical and professional licenses, and memberships in scientific, technical and professional associations and societies of law or field of practice does not mean that a lawyer is a specialist or expert in a field of law, nor does it mean that such lawyer is necessarily any more expert or competent than any other lawyer. All potential clients are urged to make their own independent investigation and evaluation of any lawyer being considered. This notice is required by rule of the Supreme Court of Iowa.
Veterans Day -- November 11, 2010 -- New Statutory Obligation
Veterans Day is Thursday, November 11. With that in mind, we wanted to remind you about a statutory obligation for employers that is new this year: Iowa Code section 91A.5A. This statute requires employers to provide employees who are veterans paid or unpaid time off for Veterans Day, November 11, "unless providing time off would impact public health or safety or would cause the employer to experience significant economic or operational disruption."
Under the statute, veteran employees who want to take Veterans Day off are required to provide written notice to their employers at least a month in advance --i.e., by October 11 -- and to document their veteran status to their employers by providing a copy of their federal certificate of release or discharge from active duty, or such similar federal document. Employers must, no later than November 1, notify the veteran employees who requested Veterans Day off if their request is granted and whether the time off will be paid or unpaid. If an employer cannot grant all requests without impacting public health or safety or causing significant economic or operational disruption, the employer must grant as many requests as it can while maintaining minimum operational capacity and without impacting public health or safety.
If you have any questions or concerns about this new employer obligation, please contact the Ahlers counsel with whom you normally work, and we will be happy to assist you.
Regards,
Ahlers & Cooney's Labor and Employment Practice Group