A veteran employee filed Title VII race and pay discrimination claims after he noticed a newer colleague quickly climbing the ranks and earning substantial raises. In 2010, Paul Palmer Jr. II, who is Black, was hired as a lecturer in…
Employment Law
In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a huge case about union dues with its ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, 138 S.Ct. 2448 (U.S. 2018). The high court held there that unions cannot mandate deductions from the paychecks…
An employee sued for religious discrimination after he was fired for posting a comment on the company's intranet about its rainbow flag display in observance of Pride Month. Here's what happened: The longtime employee, Daniel Snyder, was filling out the…
A new twist on bereavement leave has been gaining steam – and companies in Illinois will soon be required to provide it under state law. Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed the Family Bereavement Leave Act, which expands the definition of…
After facing workplace discipline for refusing to use the preferred pronouns of a transgender student, a professor sued his employer. In 2016, Shawnee State University informed faculty members that they had to refer to students by their preferred pronouns. Further, it…
Colorado has joined a growing list of states that have passed what are known as “Clean Slate” laws, lending momentum to a trend that is likely to see additional states follow suit -- perhaps in the near future. Gov. Jared…
Unlawful age bias takes many forms. More typically and obviously, age bias claims are triggered by obviously adverse job actions, like a termination or demotion. But not always. In fact, even what some may view as a seemingly benign job…
Employment law can get murky, especially when you’re talking about the multi-employer worksite doctrine. While this doctrine doesn’t apply to every employer it does apply to those in construction, manufacturing and other industries. So, it’s best to stay on top…
A new decision from a federal appeals court demonstrates the limits on the duty of employers to extend religious accommodation to employees under Title VII. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled that the postal service was…
Many companies conduct drug screenings on prospective employees before hiring them, and typically, refusing to hire them for a positive test result is allowed. However, in a recent lawsuit filed by the EEOC, a company is in legal hot water…
Heads up, employers. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is suing coffee giant Starbucks over many of its employee handbook policies, alleging the company has "overly-broad and discriminatory rules." And you'll want to make sure you don't have any of…
How much porn is OK to watch at work? We hope your policy is zero. And as the following suit shows, the reasons for taking that policy seriously don’t just include cutting down on distractions and keeping the focus on…
Every good employer knows that when an employee complains of racial harassment, it has the responsibility to investigate the claims and put a stop to the behavior. But how thorough does the investigation have to be? How quickly does it…
A federal appeals court revived a former employee’s claim that her employer violated the ADA. She said it laid her off because she has diabetes. In late March of 2018, Apache Industrial Services, Inc. hired Arlicia Gosby to work as…
A recent court decision teaches employers a strange (but important) lesson: Don't throw an employee a birthday party if they don't want one. One company did this -- and ended up paying the employee $450,000. Here's what happened. 'Somber' reaction…
A transgender employee of the Iowa Department of Corrections recovered a six-figure jury verdict. He claimed his employer violated state law by denying him health insurance benefits and access to certain facilities at work. In 2009, Iowa’s Department of Corrections…
