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Kim Pesky, a marketer for Stamford, Conn.-based Cendant Corp., took time off under state and federal family leave laws to care for her new baby. The project she was working on at the time her family leave began was purchased by another company, so the job she had left in effect no longer existed. Management […]
A federal court has approved a $47,000,000 settlement entered into between the EEOC and Rent-A-Center to resolve two major class action lawsuits charging the rent-to-own company with sex discrimination. The lawsuits claimed that women were denied promotions, demoted, and sexually harassed, and that some women were fired or forced out after the company was acquired […]
If your company uses Ceridian Retirement Plan Services for 401(k) plan recordkeeping, it may be a good idea to have employees carefully check their account records. That’s because Ceridian clients have allegedly reported a spate of recordkeeping problems since earlier this year, when Ceridian began consolidating its San Rafael and Richmond, Virginia, offices into a […]
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued Home Depot for sex discrimination. The agency charges that the home-improvement retailer repeatedly rejected a female applicant for various positions at a new Home Depot store in Rialto, near Los Angeles, and hired less-qualified men for the jobs. In response to the lawsuit, Home Depot has denied […]
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau has just voted to amend its recommendation for an increase in pure premium rates for 2003. Back in July, the California insurance commissioner approved the WCIRB’s recommendation for an 11.9% increase in the rates. But based on a review of new data reported by insurers reflecting a rise in […]
Willie Greene sued his employer Dillingham Construction N.A. Inc. for racial harassment under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. A jury awarded Greene $490,000 in emotional distress damages, and the trial court ordered Dillingham Construction to pay an additional $1,025,794 in attorneys’ fees. The company appealed the fee award, arguing that it shouldn’t have […]
As layoffs occur nationwide, employers are grappling with how to calm employees’ nerves. But giving an employee false reassurances about job security only to later demote or lay off the person could lead to a costly workers’ compensation claim for stress. A new California Court of Appeal ruling illustrates that acting in good faith shields […]
Salary discussions in the workplace can lead employees to question why they don’t earn as much as their co-workers. This is especially a concern when bonus talk takes place. To avoid these issues, many employers attempt to limit conversations among co-workers about pay. But such restrictions can leave you at risk of a lawsuit, as […]
When properly drafted, arbitration agreements can help to efficiently and quickly resolve workplace disputes. But as a new case points out, if your agreements fall short of what courts require, you may end up in an expensive legal battle over whether the agreement is enforceable—and find that it isn’t.
Neil Bergt was president and chairman of the board of directors for the airline MarkAir. He participated in the company-sponsored profit-sharing plan and an employee stock ownership plan. The company then created an ERISA retirement plan that allowed employees who were pilots or former pilots to participate.