Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
A new Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling underscores that you are obligated to be truthful when you negotiate a union contract and should be prepared to substantiate the positions you take. We’ll explain how one employer got it wrong.
A recent California decision serves as a reminder to employers that the landscape of disability discrimination is quite complex. When an employer evaluates an employee’s disability, the legal consequences of a factual mistake—even an honest mistake—will be borne by the employer.
A couple of weeks ago, President Barack Obama held a gathering at the White House that has become known as the “beer summit.” In attendance at this meeting with the President were prominent Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, who is black, and police sergeant James Crowley, who is white, along with Vice President Joe Biden. […]
Wireless firm Sprint Nextel has agreed to shell out $57 million to settle a class action lawsuit charging the company with age discrimination in connection with layoffs. The employees charged that Sprint violated the federal age discrimination law by moving older employees into positions that were then eliminated during corporate downsizing. The settlement covers approximately […]
Employment law attorney Michael Maslanka reviews the book Double Billing: A Young Lawyer’s Tale of Greed, Sex, Lies, and the Pursuit of a Swivel Chair by Cameron Stracher. Review recommends book because of its inside look into how employment litigation gets out of control. Double Billing: A Young Lawyer’s Tale Of Greed, Sex, Lies, And […]
Effective training enables your organization to comply with all legal requirements, thereby avoiding costly lawsuits, audits, and fines. Discrimination Because the affirmative defense for sexual harassment has been extended to other forms of discrimination, it is important to provide more specific and varied training on discrimination. The regulations that apply include: Age Discrimination in Employment […]
Elaine Chao, nominee for Secretary of Transportation (DOT), promised lawmakers that, if confirmed, she would lead the agency in much the same way she led the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) under George W. Bush: prioritizing compliance over enforcement.
by Dan Oswald “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.” —George Washington It was suggested to me recently that there are times when you must work for someone you don’t like or trust. My initial response was a blank […]
by Dan Oswald A man is in a restroom standing in front of a urinal when he finds himself with a dilemma. He has somehow dropped a $5 bill into the urinal. As he is contemplating what he should do about his five bucks, another man enters the restroom. The second man quickly sees the […]
by Courtney Bru The last few years have seen a dramatic expansion of rights on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court found unconstitutional the heterosexual definitions of “marriage” and “spouse” in the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). And earlier this year, the Court found same-sex marriage […]