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Three unskilled laborers who were hired to clean a film lab at Metrocolor Laboratories in Los Angeles sued, claiming Metrocolor told them to use a particular cleaning substance without revealing that it contained hazardous chemicals that can cause brain and nervous system damage. The workers’ skin became soaked with the liquid as it rained down […]
The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have approved the Pension Protection Act of 2006. President Bush is expected to sign the measure, which is the most comprehensive overhaul of pension laws in 30 years.
In a series of cases in recent years, the California Supreme Court has discussed the circumstances under which an employee of an independent contractor can sue the hirer of that contractor for work-related injuries, rather that just collect workers’ compensation benefits. Now the high court has further clarified when you can be sued for damages […]
A California appeals court has ruled the San Francisco Retirement Board correctly excluded amounts paid for unused vacation and sick leave whencalculating “average final compensation” to determine retirement benefits. Under the retirement plans, average final compensation only included compensation earned during the period an employee provided credited service. Under San Francisco’s system, vacation and sick […]
Californians aren’t the only ones who will see a boost in the minimum wage come January 1. During the Nov. 7, 2006 elections held across the nation, voters in six states approved measures to raise their minimum wage rates. Ohio and Colorado voters approved increases to $6.85, Arizona voters approved a minimum wage of $6.75, […]
The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a new ruling that limits the right of whistleblowers to recover a slice of the damages paid by government contractors whose violations are exposed. Engineer James Stone filed a lawsuit under the Federal False Claims Act (FCA), charging Boeing Co. made false statements regarding safety and environmental issues at […]
By Kate McGovern Tornone, BLR Editor Warning letters from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) can be challenged in court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has ruled in Rhea Lana, Inc. v. Department of Labor, No. 15-5014 (D.C. Cir. June 3, 2016).
Employees who want to help victims of Hurricane Sandy through leave donation may do so without being taxed on the monetary value of the vacation days, sick days and personal leave they donate, the IRS announced Nov. 6. In a leave donation program, employees forgo vacation, sick or personal leave and return it to their […]
San Diego police officer John Roe claimed his free speech rights were violated when he was fired for selling sexually explicit videos of himself on the Internet. The Ninth Circuit explained that a public employee’s speech is protected and cannot be abridged without good cause when it touches on a matter of “public concern” rather […]