The state of California, through its Department of Fair Employment and Housing, has filed a bombshell race bias lawsuit. The new suit accuses Tesla of subjecting employees at its Fremont plant to discrimination and ugly harassment based on race. Tesla…
A furniture company will pay a steep price to settle a federal government lawsuit that accused it of unlawful sex discrimination. American Freight Management Company LLC does business as American Freight Furniture and Mattress. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission…
It’s that time of the year! You know what we’re talking about … tax season. And you know what that means … a hoard of low-down, no-good, dirty, rotten scam artists will be coming out of the woodwork to trick…
Here's some good news for employers trying to get back to normal -- more states have begun dropping mask mandates, and experts are cautiously optimistic we're approaching "normalcy." Some states that have ended their mask mandates (or will very soon)…
How far do employers have to go to keep their employees safe at work? In this case, an employee drowned while pressure-washing a dock. At the time, he was not wearing a personal floatation device. The big question: Did his…
Employers need to be very mindful of ADA requirements when they ask their employees medical questions or seek medical records. But that doesn’t mean such requests are never justified.In a recent case, a federal appeals court said a railway company…
Santander Bank is set to pay $4.25 million to settle a class action lawsuit. The suit accused it of violating Fair Labor Standards Act provisions relating to the payment of overtime. The suit was filed in a New Jersey federal…
The Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it raised the minimum wage for federal contract workers to $15.00 per hour on Jan. 30, 2022 – an average increase for workers of $5,228 a year. That means construction workers, childcare, health…
There's always going to be some conflicts at work. And when an employee criticizes their supervisor, things can get sticky. One employee didn't like how their supervisor did their job. When the employee complained, they were reprimanded and later fired.…
A job candidate looks great on paper. That doesn't mean you have to take them -- but you better be ready to have a good explanation if they claim illegal bias. A 66-year-old former justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court…
Back in 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that sex discrimination protections under the Civil Rights Act extended to sexual orientation and gender identity. And a recent district court ruling reiterated that. Here's a breakdown of the case. Purposely misgendering Vivian…
Benefits pros need to keep an eye on the federal minimum wage in your area to maintain a competitive compensation plan. Thanks to the pandemic, the focus on federal minimum wage has increased. As we’ve said in previous posts, employees…
There was evidence to support both sides. Here's why the scales tipped in favor of an employee seeking long-term disability benefits. A maintenance supervisor had long-term disability insurance. His employer provided the insurance. The policy provided two years of benefits…
Workers' compensation or not? A worker suffered serious injuries when a dead tree fell near a portable restroom he was using. The worker had been painting the exterior of a house, and it was a windy day. His employer did…
In what may be the first of many similar suits to follow, a group of workers from the candle factory that was leveled by a devastating Kentucky tornado have sued their employer. The group says the employer illegally subjected the…
It’s common sense, really: Employers accused of taking action against an employee for an illegal reason must be prepared to say what the real reason was – and that it was perfectly legitimate. In a typical case, articulating a nondiscriminatory…
