Tag: Employment law

Breaching duties and cashing checks: An employee’s entitlement to bonuses after termination

by Marisa Victor and Christopher Copeland Can a Canadian employee who is fired for cause sue for outstanding bonuses? What about if those bonuses relate to the period of the employee’s wrongdoing? This was the issue in Mady Development Corp. v. Rossetto, when a terminated executive sought to claim his bonuses for a period when […]

Teacher Entitled to Return to Same Job After Difficult Pregnancy

A district court’s refusal to grant an employer’s motion for summary judgment in a fired teacher’s interference and retaliation claim is a clarion call and reminder to employers that the Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees employees that their original job — or its equivalent — will be waiting for them when their FMLA leave has […]

Employee temper tantrums, resignations, and the law

Employers generally go to great lengths to retain valued employees. They know the benefits of keeping good, experienced people and avoiding the costs of recruiting and training new hires. Sometimes, though, the words “I quit” are music to an employer’s ears. A problem employee out the door seems like a problem solved. But is it? […]

Political Comments Can Land Employers in Hot Water

With less than a month to go before the 2012 election, political passions are peaking. In a close race, some employers may be tempted to try to influence how their employees vote. It’s not a rare occurrence. Four years ago, a Maryland construction executive happened to mention during the course of an interview with me […]

Performing an EPA checkup

by Sophie E. Zdatny Equal pay for equal work may seem like a no-brainer, but the gender pay gap is still with us almost 50 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act (EPA) in 1963. Nationally, women earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. The Vermont Attorney General’s Office (AG) and […]

Canadian citizenship applications under closer scrutiny

by Gilda Villaran Fraud in Canadian citizenship applications has been a concern. Following an investigation by police and the Canadian border agency, the Immigration Minister announced on September 10 that Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is proceeding to revoke the citizenship of 3,100 people who obtained it by fraud. The discovery of this amount of […]

Don’t research and drive – “Andy’s Ancestry”

Andy and Nellie’s feud continued in last night’s episode (“Andy’s Ancestry”) and Nellie’s revenge strategy was actually kind of funny. In response to Andy’s directive to research his (and eventually everyone else’s) ancestry, Nellie made up various historical figures that were supposedly related to the staff members. Andy was initially excited to learn about his shared […]

Working while on vacation, home office injuries, and tandem lay-off meetings

Employees go on vacation, but business doesn’t stop. So sometimes workers are asked to put in time when they’re expecting to be kicking back at the beach. Working from home is a popular arrangement, but what are the workers’ compensation implications when an employee is injured in a home office? Lay-off meetings are never easy, […]

Another shot across the bow: NLRB challenges ‘at-will’ statements

by Jeff Hurt Nonunion employers must be scratching their collective heads over the recent shelling they’ve been getting as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeks to make union organizing easier: proposed labor law posting requirements, “quickie” election rules, and strict limitations on employer social media policies. While some of those initiatives are on hold, […]

When what’s good for business isn’t good employment law: What warrants termination for cause?

by Kyla Stott-Jess Is a Canadian employer justified in terminating an employee for cause when that employee has disobeyed company policy? What if the consequences of the employee’s failure to follow policy put other employees at serious risk of harm? Not necessarily, said the Ontario Supreme Court recently in Barton v. Rona Ontario Inc. Rather, […]