Articles on workplace-related issues from newspapers and Internet news sources around the country.
January 17, 2020
These companies are winning with workplace culture in a tight labor market
Source: Ed Frauenheim, Fortune
Don’t call it a war for talent.
Call it a quest to attract excellent people who thrive in your culture and want to stay.
Whatever you call it, the Best Workplaces in the San Francisco Bay Area are succeeding. They are recruiting highly skilled, energized employees, who then remain at their jobs even though they easily could hop to other firms amid one of the tightest labor markets in the country today
U.S. House approves new age discrimination protections
Source: Mike Rogoway, Oregon Live
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to enact new protections against age discrimination in the workplace, approving a bill that supporters say will give older workers the same safeguards other protected groups enjoy.
Medstar Good Samaritan Hospital and EEOC Reach $195,000 Agreement to Conciliate EEOC Disability Discrimination Charge
Source: EEOC, EEOC
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital (MGSH) announced today the successful conciliation and settlement of a charge filed with the agency under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The EEOC reached a voluntary resolution with the employer through the agency's conciliation process following its investigation findings. MGSH did not admit to any wrongdoing or fault in violation of the statute.
Fidelity Home Energy to Pay $350,000 to Settle EEOC National Origin Discrimination Lawsuit
Source: EEOC, EEOC
San Leandro-based solar and home energy company Fidelity Home Energy, Inc., and its successor NorCal Home Systems, Inc., will pay $350,000 to a former employee and hire a consultant to resolve a national origin discrimination lawsuit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today.
January 16, 2020
Greensboro Zaxby’s Owner to Pay $30,000 To Settle EEOC Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Lawsuit
Source: EEOC, EEOC
BCD Restaurants, LLC, a Greensboro, N.C.-based Zaxby's restaurant franchisee, will pay $30,000 and provide other relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today. The EEOC had charged that BCD Restaurants violated federal law when it subjected a female employee to a sexually hostile work environment and then fired her for complaining about the harassment.
For the Love of God, Ask the Candidates About Unions
Source: Sarah Jones, New York Intelligencer
The American labor movement has been under attack for decades, but you wouldn’t know it from watching the Democratic primary debates. On Tuesday evening, moderators mentioned unions once — specifically a union, the AFL-CIO, and only to ask Bernie Sanders why he opposed the USMCA trade deal that the union endorsed. This meager exchange is still something of an improvement on most previous debates. When unions have come up at all, it’s usually thanks to the candidates, who invoke “good union jobs” to polish their economic proposals or to criticize Medicare for All.
In Age Bias Case, Justices Discuss ‘O.K. Boomer’ and Eggless Cakes
Source: Adam Liptak, New York Times
A lively Supreme Court argument on protecting federal workers from age discrimination included telling remarks from several justices.
The question for the justices was whether federal workers can win age discrimination suits under a more relaxed standard, showing only that age was one factor among many.
January 15, 2020
What Taco Bell’s $100,000 Salary Offer Says About U.S. Jobs
Source: Leslie Patton and Sophie Alexander, Bloomberg Law
Who makes $100,000 a year? According to the U.S. government, air traffic controllers do. The academics who teach architects to design buildings that won’t collapse. And maybe soon, the guy who makes your Triple Layer Nachos some bleary midnight.
New York Court Vacates $91 Million Payout to Former Hedge Fund Employees
Source: Juliet Chung, The Wallstreet Journal
A New York state appeals court on Tuesday ordered a retrial in a 2019 jury case that would have seen hedge-fund firm Touradji Capital Management pay roughly $91 million to two former employees.
Imperial Trading to Pay $140,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit
Source: EEOC, EEOC
A wholesale distributor based in Jefferson Parish, La., has agreed to pay $140,000 and provide other significant relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC charged in its suit that Imperial Trading Company, LLC, violated federal law by subjecting workers to illegal pre-employment medical inquiries and failing to reasonably accommodate employees with disabilities.
Mass Layoffs Hurt Workers. Shouldn’t Employers Feel Some of the Sting?
Source: Bryce Covert, The Nation
A New Jersey bill to mandate severance pay after mass layoffs could tip the scales in favor of keeping stores and factories open and people employed.
January 14, 2020
This Company Hires Gig Workers—as Employees
Source: Gregory Barber, Wired
A California law requires many contractors to be treated as employees. One temp agency startup might stand to benefit, by taking the workers onto its payroll.
Women Now Hold More Jobs Than Men In The U.S. Workforce
Source: Jack Kelly, Forbes
Buried deep in the U.S. government’s December jobs report was an interesting piece of data—women hold more jobs than men, occupying 50.04% of positions.
Labor Law: How to avoid that multi-million dollar sexual harassment payout
Source: Karen Michael, Richmond Times Dispatch
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced last month it entered into a $4.4 million settlement agreement with Uber Technologies over claims of sexual harassment.
EEOC Must Pay $3.3 Million To Trucking Company Accused Of Sexual Harassment of Female Truck Driver Trainees
Source: Patricia Barnes, Forbes
One of what surely must be the most outrageous cases of sexual harassment in American history may finally have come to an ignominious end after 14 years.
Law protecting NYC freelancers from discrimination goes into effect
Source: Gabe Herman, AM New York
A new city law that went into effect on Monday gives new protection to freelancers from harassment and discrimination in the workplace.
Black workers’ status in a company informs perceptions of workplace racial discrimination
Source: Neil Schoenherr, The Source
Based on 60 in-depth interviews with black medical doctors, nurses and technicians in the health care industry, a new study from Washington University in St. Louis finds that wherever black workers are positioned in an organization — top, middle or bottom — informs and shapes their impressions about workplace racial discrimination.
January 13, 2020
Retirement And The Laws To Help Older Workers
Source: William Baldwin, Forbes
A look at certain statutes with unintended consequences.
“Ageism in the Workplace” is the cover feature of the February 2020 AARP Bulletin. Tales are told of older workers mistreated or axed, and of their sometimes victorious lawsuits.
Labor Dept. Rule to Curb Lawsuits by Franchise Workers
Source: Noam Scheiber, New York Times
Workers could have more difficulty suing large companies for wrongdoing by contractors or franchisees under a rule announced on Sunday by the Labor Department.
Jobs putting women in workplace in record numbers
Source: Blair Shiff, Fox Business
The future may, indeed, be female if U.S. jobs numbers are any indication.
In December, for the first time since April 2010, women held a majority of jobs in America, not counting self-employed individuals and farm laborers.
The data released by the Labor Department on Friday shows women holding 50.04 percent of jobs, outpacing men by 109,000.
Noncompete agreements allow bosses to chain workers to their jobs. We need to free them.
Source: Terri Gerstein, NBC News
Modern-day employers have been reinstating an expectation of servitude that should have disappeared long ago, and it's hurting both workers and the economy.
January 9, 2020
Two McDonald's executives sue company for alleged racial discrimination
Source: Ben Miller, Chicago Business Journal
Two African-American McDonald's executives have sued the company, alleging racial discrimination.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, in a lawsuit filed in federal district court in Illinois, Vicki Guster-Hines and Domineca Neal alleged that the Chicago-based restaurant giant (NYSE: MCD) discriminated against them because of their race.
More Americans are killing themselves at work
Source: William Wan, The Washington Post
America’s climbing suicide rate has become a problem for businesses, too.
Buried in a report last month by the Bureau of Labor of Statistics on occupational fatalities was this tragic fact: More people are killing themselves in the workplace than ever before. The number of such suicides for 2018 was 304 -- an 11 percent increase from the year before and the highest number since the bureau began tracking the data 26 years ago.
Charlie Rose, ex-CBS anchor, admits to workplace relationships, flirting
Source: Claire Atkinson, NBC News
In a deposition released Monday, Rose said he now knows that his workplace relationships were "inappropriate."
General Motors shocks nearly 1,000 temp workers with full-time promotions; Ford promotes 592
Source: Jamie L. LaReau, USA Today
General Motors' worker Adarrey "Ace" Humphrey was blindsided Sunday. That's when his life changed.
Humphrey, 27, has been a part-time temporary worker at GM's Flint Assembly in Michigan for the last three years. On Sunday morning, he and about 250 of his co-workers crowded into UAW Local 598's union hall. Most thought they were there for a routine meeting.
January 8, 2020
Workers quit their jobs at the fastest rate on record in 2019—here’s why
Source: Abigail Hess, CNBC
There are few things quite as satisfying as quitting a bad job. And in 2019, U.S. workers quit theirs at the fastest rate on record.
Each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes figures on the number and percentage of workers who quit their jobs (often referred to as the “quits rate”) as a part of their Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (often abbreviated as JOLTS.)
Ken Friedman of the Spotted Pig Will Pay $240,000 in Sexual Harassment Case
Source: Kim Severson and Julia Moskin, New York Times
Trish Nelson, a former server at the Spotted Pig, raised her fist Tuesday as she spoke at a news conference announcing the settlement.
Trish Nelson, a former server at the Spotted Pig, raised her fist Tuesday as she spoke at a news conference announcing the settlement.
Pregnancy Bias Bill Gets Tentative House Committee Markup
Source: Jaclyn Diaz, Bloomberg Law
The House Education and Labor Committee will mark up Democratic-led legislation that would make it easier for pregnant workers to get reasonable accommodations from their employers, and is meant to solve ambiguities left by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Goldman settles ADHD discrimination suit with former analyst
Source: Benefits News
Goldman Sachs Group settled a discrimination claim with a former analyst who alleged that the bank discriminated against him because of his attention-deficit condition.
January 7, 2020
Federal judge holds freelancers to new California labor law
Source: Associated Press, Los Angeles Times
A federal judge will not temporarily exempt freelance journalists and photographers from a broad new California labor law, saying they waited too long to challenge restrictions that they fear could put some of them out of business.
Age Discrimination Starts When An Employer Becomes Aware Of An Older Worker’s Age
Source: Patricia Barnes, Forbes
New research finds that job applicants aged 40 and above begin to experience age discrimination at the point where their age becomes apparent to the employer.
A Year After a #MeToo Reckoning, Economists Still Grapple With It
Source: Ben Casselman, Jim Tankersley and Jeanna Smialek, New York Times
After a year of revelations about racism and sexism, the profession’s annual meeting reflected signs of progress, but also work to be done.
These 25 Companies Laid Off Workers in 2019
Source: Sean Williams, The Motley Fool
Last year was an incredibly strong one for the stock market and the U.S. economy. Stock indexes ended the year with gains that quadrupled their historic annual averages, while the U.S. unemployment rate hit a nearly 50-year low of 3.5% in October. We have to go all the way back to December 1969 to find a time where the U.S. job market looked this strong, as a whole.
Yet even this impressive of a performance hasn't been able to save workers at select companies from losing their jobs in the U.S. and around the world.
January 6, 2020
Trump admin quietly removing LGBTQ workplace discrimination guidelines
Source: Kendis Gibson, MSNBC
The U.S. Department of the Interior has deleted the words “sexual orientation” from its anti-discrimination guidelines. Chase Strangio, the Deputy Director for Transgender Justice at the ACLU's LGBT & HIV Project, joins MSNBC’s Kendis Gibson to discuss the state of LGBTQ workplace protections.
Workplace bullying is more harmful than we realised
Source: Christian Jarrett, BBC News
New findings suggest being bullied at work won’t just affect you emotionally, but could also have serious consequences for your health.
How To Use Your Workplace To Help Create Great Experiences For Your Employees
Source: Lynee Luque, Forbes
Positive experiences at work can make the biggest difference between employees who can’t wait to find something new and those who give their best daily effort to their job. Employees today value a good experience far more than ever before, and the key to a happy workforce is designing the products we love with experience at the forefront.
New minimum wage increases will benefit 7 million workers
Source: Alexandra Kelley, The Hill
With the U.S. minimum wage rising for many states this year, some areas are benefitting more than others.
January 3, 2020
California officially bans discrimination against natural hair
Source: Aris Folley, The Hill
A new law took effect in California with the start of the new year that seeks to ban discrimination against natural hair in workplaces and schools.
The legislation, dubbed the CROWN Act, officially adds hair-based discrimination associated with race to the state’s anti-discrimination law.
How Employee Resource Groups Help Workers Flourish
Source: Suzanne Lucas, The Benefits Guide
People are naturally gravitate to those who are similar to them — with similar tastes, styles and problems.
Employee resource groups (ERGs) bring people together to foster inclusivity and communication in the workplace. This is especially true for companies whose workforce represents a wide range of backgrounds and ages: ERGs are a way to connect people with similar struggles who might not otherwise ever speak to each other.
Labor unions face increasing challenges in 2020
Source: Mitchell Hartman, Market Place
Labor unions have faced tough times under the Trump administration. Heading into 2020, the Labor Department, under new secretary Eugene Scalia, is expected to continue rolling back Obama-era rules and policies that made union organizing a little easier.
Black woman sues Marriott for racial discrimination over 'no party policy'
Source: Morgan Gstalter, The Hill
An African American woman from California has filed a $300,000 lawsuit against the Marriott hotel chain, claiming she was required to sign a “no party policy” that white guests were not asked to sign.
January 2, 2020
6.8 Million People Got a Raise Yesterday. Were You One?
Source: Suzanne Lucas, INC
Twenty-one states had minimum wage increases go into effect yesterday--and Delaware had one go into effect in October. Overall, an estimated 6.8 million people will see their paychecks increase anywhere from $0.10 an hour (Florida) to $1.50 an hour (New Mexico and Washington).
Life Care Centers of America to Pay $170,000 to Settle EEOC Discrimination Lawsuit
Source: EEOC, EEOC
Geriatric care giant Life Care Centers of America, Inc. and its affiliate, South Hill Operations, LLC, doing business as "Life Care Center of South Hill," will pay $170,000 to a former employee to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
Why Women Go Missing From The Workforce -- And What To Do About It
Source: Sue Bhatia, Forbes
If women must take on the role of caregiver to their aging or sick family members, they often aren’t able to commit the same amount of time or energy to their careers. This affects the workplace tremendously, as many women are forced to take time off or reduce their hours so that they can devote time to caregiving.
January 1, 2020
Why a Google spreadsheet was the most powerful tool for labor in 2019
Source: Juliana Feliciano Reyes, The Inquirer
The most significant organizing tool of the year was a Google spreadsheet containing thousands of anonymous museum workers’ salaries.
Ageism in the Workplace Remains Rampant
Source: AARP, PRNewswire
An In-Depth Investigation Reveals that Illegal Discrimination Against Older Workers Is Widespread and Tolerated, Thanks in Large Part to Weak Laws and Unsupportive Courts.
December 31, 2019
Less=More: New Year’s Resolutions For Your Workplace
Source: Kathy Miller Perkins, Forbes
What will you do in 2020 to make your workplace better? The New Year holiday is an ideal time to address this question. Undoubtedly many of you are following the age-old tradition of reflecting and resolving as this year ends and the new one begins. In addition to making your personal New Year's resolutions, consider commitments for your work and workplace as well.
New state law requires companies to train employees on how to recognize, prevent sexual harassment
Source: Abdel Jimenez, Chicago Tribune
Companies will be required to provide annual workplace training on how to recognize and prevent sexual harassment or face hefty fines under a new state law that takes effect Jan. 1.
Your Unconscious Bias Trainings Keep Failing Because You’re Not Addressing Systemic Bias
Source: Janice Gassam, Forbes
It seems like every other day the headlines are marred with stories of companies adopting unconscious bias trainings to overcome issues of racism, prejudice, bias and discrimination. Unconscious bias trainings have become the cure-all for every diversity-related ailment that organizations are facing but why after all the money expended, inequities continue to persist in today’s workplaces?
December 30, 2019
43% Of Workers Are Low-Wage
Source: Erik Sherman, Forbes
"Low-wage income" is a category that many of us use without thinking beyond that single bucket. It lumps together everyone trying to scrape by at $7.25 an hour to those making more but not enough.
More Workers Eligible for Overtime Pay in 2020
Source: Sarah Chaney and Eric Morath, The Wallstreet Journal
More workers will qualify for overtime in the new year under the first federal overhaul of requirements in more than 15 years, an update businesses are taking in stride but that is leaving some workers frustrated they won’t see bigger paychecks.
New labor laws are coming to California. What’s changing in your workplace?
Source: Margot Roosevelt, Los Angeles Times
For California businesses, 2020 will be a year of reckoning.
Sweeping new laws curbing longtime employment practices take effect, aimed at reducing economic inequality and giving workers more power in their jobs.
5 Things To Ask Your Boss In The New Year
Source: Avery Blank, Forbes
Consider this your nudge. This is your push to ask for what you want in the New Year. Here are five things to consider asking for from your boss next year...
Low-wage workers are getting bigger raises than bosses
Source: Aimee Picchi, CBS News
The country's lowest-paid workers are enjoying bigger income gains than managers and other top-earning professionals, according to new economic data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
December 27, 2019
EEOC must pay $3.3M for failing to negotiate with employer, 8th Cir. says
Source: Kate Tornone, HR Drive
The commission failed to satisfy its Title VII obligations — rules that require it to engage in good-faith conciliation with an employer accused of discrimination before filing a lawsuit — nearly nine years ago, a court previously determined. The agency had sued on behalf of a class of women, arguing that CRST engaged in a "pattern or practice" of discrimination, but it allegedly declined to individually investigate each claim.
How Do We Prepare Our Workforce For The Jobs Of The Future That Don't Exist Today?
Source: Diane Strohfus, Forbes
The pace of change in the business landscape is more rapid than anything we’ve ever seen before. Technologies like AI and machine learning are fundamentally changing the ways we live and work, and entire paradigms of business models are shifting. Industries are transitioning toward “everything as a service” (think Uber, Airbnb, grocery and prepared meal delivery, etc.) and the associated driver/delivery and host roles that are created out there because of this.
Almost 10 million in U.S. have faced sexual violence at work
Source: Carolyn Crist, Reuters
Almost 1 in 18 women and 1 in 40 men have experienced sexual harassment in and related to the workplace, according to a U.S. study.
Employers and LGBT Community Waiting for 2020 Supreme Court Decisions
Source: Shannon Kelly , Law.com
In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue decisions in three cases that will determine whether discrimination based upon gender identity and sexual orientation is covered under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII).
Workplace Culture Health Matters, And Labor Unions Are Watching
Source: Karyn Gallant, Forbes
Think labor unions are a thing of the past? Think again. Many in our new generation of workers romanticize the notion of collective bargaining, while the generation of newly ascending C-suite leaders has little to no recollection of labor movements past (for better or worse).
13 Effective Tactics For Dealing With A Toxic Boss
Source: Forbes Human Resources Council, Forbes
To help employees facing this unfortunate circumstance, 13 members of Forbes Human Resources Council share several potential methods of dealing with the problem while keeping the drama to a bare minimum.
December 26, 2019
Employers Must Ensure Their Leave Administrators Understand Who Is Entitled to FMLA Leave
Source: Heather C. Hili, Workplace Litigation
Employers must ensure they understand who is entitled to leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). In a recent decision, a federal court has ordered a plaintiff’s claims to proceed to a jury trial to determine whether the plaintiff’s former employer interfered with her rights under FMLA.
10 ways the workplace has changed since 2010
Source: Jennifer Fabiano, Ladders
As 2020 draws near, it’s hard not to reflect on the past decade- so much has changed in the 10 years that flew by. In 2010, those who even had a smartphone were carrying around an iPhone 4 or a BlackBerry OS 6.0 version. While the illustrious BlackBerry has all but disappeared from the workplace of 2019, there has been plenty of technologies in its wake to replace it.
Illegal Internship: Two Years of Experience, No Salary, No Equity
Source: Suzanne Lucas, INC
If ViaBill wants to fill this "internship" they are going to have to pay.Unpaid internships aren't inherently wrong. But ones that require two years of experience and have a whole list of responsibilities for a for-profit firm are illegal.
December 23, 2019
United Airlines to Pay $321,000 and Fight Internet Harassment to Settle EEOC Discrimination Suit
Source: EEOC, EEOC
United Airlines, Inc., a Chicago-headquartered international airline operating in over 300 airports across five continents, has agreed to pay $321,000, plus attorney's fees, to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency announced today.
Massey Services Will Pay $63,000 to Settle EEOC Discrimination and Retaliation Lawsuit
Source: EEOC, EEOC
Pest control and landscaping company Massey Services, Inc. will pay $63,000 and provide other significant relief to settle an employment discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today. The EEOC charged in its lawsuit that the company violated federal law when it denied an employee's request for medical leave, fired her after learning of her medical condition, and subsequently failed to rehire her for the position that she previously held that remained vacant.
Research: How Women Undersell Their Work
Source: Marc J. Lerchenmueller, Olav Sorenson, Anupam B. Jena, Harvard Business Review
Despite a narrowing of the gender gap in science, women still lag behind men, especially at the highest levels. In the life sciences, for example, women now earn just as many doctoral degrees as men. But they hold only one out of four full professorships at research universities in the United States. Women in the life sciences also earn less and receive less research funding than men.
The New American Workforce Has New Retirement Needs
Source: Seth D. Harris, Work Force
Some 80 percent of Americans express anxiety they will outlive their retirement savings. Employers can play a role in solving this dilemma
The EEOC Abdicates Leadership Role In Enforcing Federal Anti-Discrimination Law
Source: Patricia Barnes, Forbes
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has abdicated its long-standing mandate to provide “leadership” in the interpretation of civil rights statutes in a case involving the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA).
In Democratic presidential race, labor unions remain cool on 'Medicare for All' plans
Source: Benjamin Pu and Shaquille Brewster, NBC News
Candidates have gone to great lengths to win over union support but members don't want to lose hard-earned health care benefits.
December 20, 2019
Where’s my pay raise? Fewer workers making under $30K got an increase
Source: Jazmin Goodwin, USA Today
The lowest paid workers may be getting the short end of the stick.
Nearly two-thirds of U.S. workers who make under $30,000 received no pay increase the past 12 months, according to a new Bankrate survey. By contrast, 55% of those making $50,000 or more got a raise, and 49% of all U.S. workers got a boost in salary, up from 38% the prior year and the most since 2016.
Labor Unrest At Google is Getting Worst
Source: Eric Lutz, Vanity Fair
Tensions between Google and its employees escalated last month when the company fired four staffers who’d been involved in labor organizing, drawing accusations that it is “choosing to hide unethical behavior instead of correct it, to double down on hostile workplace conduct instead of fixing it.” Now, another Google employee has come forward with allegations that the company terminated her over organizing. Kathryn Spiers, who says she was fired Friday, told ABC News that she believes she was “fired in retaliation.”
Hair Discrimination Is Now Illegal In New Jersey
Source: Jennifer Ford, Essence
It’s been one year since the controversial wrestling match at Buena Vista Regional High School in New Jersey that cost Andrew Johnson his dreadlocks. It was one of the incidences that inspired lawmakers to push policies that ban the discrimination of natural hair to the forefront and ultimately led to legislation that outlaws the behavior.
Supreme Court to hear workplace discrimination claims case involving religious employers
Source: Associated Press, Fox Business
The Supreme Court said Wednesday it will consider expanding protections for churches against job-discrimination claims. The justices agreed to review two cases in which a federal appeals court allowed discrimination lawsuits by teachers against two Catholic schools in California to proceed.
December 19, 2019
The Worst Employer of 2019 Is…
Source: Jon Hyman, Work Force
After a year of gathering 20 very worthy nominees, whittling it down to 10 awful finalists, and compiling hundreds upon hundreds of your votes, today is the day to declare the Worst Employer of 2019.
Labor board rolls back employee email rights after Google recommendation
Source: Colin Lecher, The Verge
The federal labor board ruled this week that employers can block workers from using email to organize, in a decision that companies, including Google, have asked for.
Fox Rothschild Lawyer Out After Sexual Harassment Complaint (3)
Source: Patrick Dorrian and Meghan Tribe, Bloomberg Law
A New Jersey-based Fox Rothschild labor and employment attorney has been terminated after he and the firm were both named in a new lawsuit that claims a former administrative assistant at the firm was subject to unrelenting sexual harassment, including attempted rape.
The plaintiff Stephanie Jones also says the firm failed to act on her complaints about Fox Rothschild counsel Ian W. Siminoff, instead retaliating against her.
Uber to pay $4.4 million to resolve Kalanick-era EEOC sex discrimination charge
Source: Lauren Feiner, CBS News
Uber will pay $4.4 million to resolve a 2017 charge of sex discrimination from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Uber will also create a system to identify managers who fail to respond to sexual harassment reports “in a timely manner,” the EEOC said.
The Top Occupational Safety and Health Issues for 2020: An Employer’s Guide
Source: Guy Burdick, EHS Daily Advisor
While forces affecting the workplace change rapidly—an aging workforce, new work arrangements, and state adoption of medical and recreational marijuana laws—regulatory changes move at a slower pace.
Board Approves Greater Confidentiality in Workplace Investigations
Source: NLRB, NLRB
In a decision issued today, the National Labor Relations Board held that work rules requiring confidentiality during the course of workplace investigations are presumptively lawful. The case, Apogee Retail LLC d/b/a Unique Thrift Store, 368 NLRB No. 144 (2019), overturns a 2015 decision— Banner Estrella Medical Center, 362 NLRB 1108 (2015), enf. denied on other grounds 851 F.3d 35 (D.C. Cir. 2017)—that had required employers to prove, on a case-by-case basis, that the integrity of an investigation would be compromised without confidentiality.
December 18, 2019
Google employee says she was fired for sending internal pop-ups about labor rights
Source: Colin Lecher, The Verge
Google has fired another employee following a showing of internal activism, marking the latest in a series of controversial terminations at the search giant.
Century Care of Laurinburg to Pay $30,000 to Settle EEOC Pregnancy Discrimination Suit
Source: EEOC, EEOC
Century Care of Laurinburg, Inc. d/b/a Scottish Pines Rehabilitation & Nursing Center (Scottish Pines), a North Carolina company based in Cary, has agreed to pay $30,000 and furnish other relief to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
Vox Media to Cut 200 Freelancers, Citing California Gig-Worker Law
Source: Marc Tracy and Kevin Draper, New York Times
Vox Media to cut 200 freelancers, citing California gig-worker law. On Monday, Vox Media announced that it would eliminate the 200 freelance positions at its sports outlet, SB Nation, to comply with new California legislation regarding contractors. ... The law, which goes into effect Jan.
A Female ‘60 Minutes’ Producer Sues CBS, Claiming Discrimination
Source: Rachel Abrams, New York Times
She claims she was sidelined after reporting that her boss, an Emmy-winning producer, texted her an inappropriate photo.
McDonald's Labor Ruling Protects Franchise Model
Source: CBS News, WCBI
“When it comes to franchisees and franchisors, fast food is the most common, but there are many other industries where you find this type of business relationship,” said Edgar Ndjatou, executive director at Workplace Fairness, an advocacy group.
The Surprising Ways Gender Bias Holds Women Back
Source: Maya Hu-Chan, INC
When we talk about "having it all," we must acknowledge gender bias, how it can hold us back, and how we can fight itDeck
Here's Why Time Off Work Actually Improves Your Work and Life
Source: Darius Foroux, Get Pocket
Powering through your work week after week can cause some serious tunnel vision and prevent you from accomplishing what you’re capable of.
EEOC Rescinds Policy Against Binding Arbitration for Workers (1)
Source: Erin Mulvaney, Bloomberg Law
The EEOC voted 2-1 to rescind its position that mandatory arbitration agreements that keep workers’ discrimination claims out of court clash with the civil rights laws the agency enforces.
The Dec. 16 decision follows U.S. Supreme Court rulings in recent years that bolster such pacts. In a 1997 policy statement, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said using these agreements as a condition of employment could “harm both the individual civil rights claimant and the public interest in eradicating discrimination.”
December 16, 2019
Tucoemas Federal Credit Union Settles EEOC Discrimination Lawsuit for $450,000
Source: EEOC, EEOC
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today the resolution of a sex, age and retaliatory discrimination lawsuit against Tulare County-based Tucoemas Federal Credit Union. The credit union has agreed to pay $450,000, along with certain injunctive relief, to resolve the complaint.
American Woodmark to Pay $25,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit
Source: EEOC, EEOC
American Woodmark Corporation, a wood cabinetry manufacturer, will pay $25,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
EEOC Formally Proposes Ending Official Time for Union Reps
Source: Erich Wagner , Government Executive
Federal employee unions have decried the effort to strip labor representatives of the right to use official time to help prepare discrimination complaints as an erosion of employee protections.
Labor Board sides with McDonald's in landmark case
Source: Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN Business
The National Labor Relations Board decided Thursday that McDonald's can settle a case that accuses the burger chain of retaliating against employees who tried to unionize.
The case stems from a series of complaints filed against the company and some of its franchise operators in 2014, which were later consolidated. The Fast Food Workers Committee and Service Employees International Union alleged that workers who participated in strikes were punished with reduced hours and in other ways.
