The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has secured an $8.7 million settlement in a case that alleged unlawful race discrimination by the major delivery company DHL. The agency initially brought suit against DHL in September of 2010. It filed the suit on behalf of a class of African American DHL employees who allegedly were given […]
Four female employees in Washington state said they endured ongoing sexual harassment at work – but management didn’t do anything to stop it. That’s when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) stepped in – and the company learned an expensive lesson. This case involves the four women and Red Robin, a casual dining chain that […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has determined that a worker died of heatstroke on his first day at work because a farm labor contractor did not do enough to protect its workers from heat-related hazards. In a press release, OSHA said a 26-year-old man arrived from Mexico to help plant sugar cane in […]
Trader Joe’s was cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for various safety hazards at one of its stores in Colorado. What’s more, this isn’t the first time the popular grocery store chain has been cited over similar issues, according to an OSHA press release. Safety hazards were repeat violations During a December […]
A federal district court in Pennsylvania has preserved a cisgender employee’s claim that his employer violated Title VII and state law by favoring transgender employees. The ruling holds an important lesson about the full scope of the Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, which specifically addressed only gay and transgender bias but […]
A new ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court will make it much easier for many employees to prove an allegation of unlawful discrimination under Title VII. The Court’s ruling washes away a rule, followed by many courts, that required Title VII claimants to show not just any harm but harm that is significant. This is […]
The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) has issued the long-awaited final PWFA rule, slated to be published in the Federal Register tomorrow and then take effect 60 days later – on June 18, 2024. Here’s a quick recap of the law — and the latest compliance developments you need to know. Overview of the PWFA […]
An appeals court in Illinois upheld a decision to award workers’ comp benefits to a traveling employee who was hurt before he got on the road to his first daily assignment. The question that the court answered in the employee’s favor: Did the injury arise out of and in the course of employment? Michael Iniquez […]
For the second time in less than six months, OSHA found serious safety violations at a battery manufacturer in Georgia. SK Battery America Inc., a global electric vehicle battery manufacturer, faces $77,200 in fines. Workers exposed to respiratory hazards in fire In October 2023, a lithium battery fire occurred at the manufacturer’s Commerce plant. Several workers suffered […]
A federal appeals court has revived a prison employee’s Title VII claim that he was subjected to severe harassment at work based on his status as a transgender man. While working at Rogers State Prison in Georgia, Tyler Copeland began the process of medically and socially transitioning from female to male. The court’s ruling in […]
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been very busy over the last year. Among other things, it has focused on workplace rules, as an employer in the Midwest recently learned the hard way. It ended up paying $297,000 to former workers. The six-figure settlement covered back pay, front pay, interest, excess tax, mileage and […]
An employer may be responsible for birth defects allegedly caused by its workers’ exposure to toxic chemicals, a state appeals court in Illinois has ruled. This case involves Marcus Ledeaux and Enrique Daniel Araballo, who each had a parent who worked at a Motorola semiconductor manufacturing facility in Arizona. Ledeaux’s father worked at the facility […]
A new OSHA rule – the so-called “walkaround” rule – clarifies that employees may designate a non-employee third party, such as a union rep, to be their representative and accompany OSHA inspectors during workplace safety inspections. The final rule was published in the Federal Register on April 1 – and is set to take effect […]
A termination is justified if an employee is caught stealing, right? Not necessarily. This case shows that everything isn’t black and white — especially when managers make mistakes during the termination process. Key takeaways for HR: Not every manager has received training to properly handle the dreaded termination talk. That’s why HR pros must establish best practices for termination, […]
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed into law SB 1515, which amends the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) and the Paid Leave Oregon (PLO) program. The amended legislation, which aims to reduce leave stacking and better align the two overlapping leave laws, will take effect on July 1, 2024. Multiple leave laws Last year, Oregan’s PLO […]
