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News Notes: Worker Who Watches TV Church Services Claims Religious Discrimination

Tyson Foods has agreed to change its religious accommodation policies to settle Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charges that the Arkansas poultry processor discriminated against a worker who watched Sunday church services on television. Tyson fired Afton Bolen from his job as a fryer operator for refusing to come in on Sundays, despite its policy of […]

House Votes to Repeal ACA Small-group Insurance Expansion

The U.S. House of Representatives in a voice vote on Sept. 28 unanimously approved H.R. 1624, the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act, which would redefine small employer as having 50 or fewer employees and give states the option of expanding the definition to include employers with up to 100 employees. The previous definition had been groups […]

News Bulletin: FMLA Opinion Withdrawn

The Ninth Circuit Court recently withdrew its decision in Gradilla v. Ruskin Mfd. that held leave taken to accompany a spouse to a funeral was not protected family leave. The opinion was withdrawn at the request of the parties, which means employers can no longer rely on the decision. Continue watching California Employer Advisor for […]

Meal Periods

This meal period deal is driving me nuts. The workers on our assembly line usually work 6-hour shifts. Most of the crew want to work through the meal break, and we’d like that too—more productivity. But we have a few who insist on their meal break. And we can’t run the assembly line without the […]

Holidays PTO Survey: How Sick Leave May Be Used

Sick days may be used by employees to care for (check all that apply):   Dependent Child Parent Other Exempt Employees 418 (92%) 356 (78.4%) 249 (54.8%) Nonexempt Employees 408 (89.9%) 345 (76%) 238 (52.4%)   Previous       Next

Senate Passes Another COBRA Subsidy Extension Bill

Last week, the U.S. Senate passed legislation that would further extend the federal COBRA subsidy created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010 (H.R. 4213), which passed the Senate by a 62-36 vote, would extend the subsidy to individuals who were involuntarily terminated […]

Wage Disputes: California Appeals Court Says Exempt Corporate Executives Are Protected Too

Most employers know that exempt, salaried employees aren’t covered by California’s overtime requirements. But as a California appeals court decision points out, that doesn’t mean that other state Labor Code wage protections similarly don’t apply to exempt workers.   Pay Dispute Arises David Mazur was vice president of sales and marketing at On-Line Power, Inc., […]

E-Alert Item: National Origin Discrimination: Muslim Workers to Receive $1.1 Million Settlement

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has announced a $1.1 million settlement of a lawsuit charging that four Muslim employees of Stockton Steel, a subsidiary of Herrick Corp. based in Pleasanton, were harassed based on their religion and ethnicity. The Pakistani-American workers charged they were ridiculed at work during their daily prayers, chided about their […]

Where’s the Jobs?

Remember, the “Where’s the beef?” commercials Wendy’s restaurants began running in 1984? The advertising slogan soon became a catch phrase anytime someone wanted to question the substance of an idea or product. It seems to me, with apologies to my middle school English teacher, “Where’s the jobs?” is an appropriate slogan for the current, so-called […]

News Notes: UC Professor Claims Race Bias In Tenure Decision

The federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has decided that UC Davis will have to face a trial on a charge by Ronald Y. Chuang, a microbiologist and AIDS researcher, that he was discriminated against because of his race and national origin. Chuang claims that the institution failed to give him a tenured position as […]