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News Notes: Waitresses Awarded Over $2 Million For Harassment And Retaliation

A Southern California jury has ordered an employer to pay $2,331,319 to two waitresses who said they were sexually harassed by other employees and then retaliated against after they complained. Rebecca Barklage and Malissa McCard worked at Birraporetti’s Restaurant in Costa Mesa. They claimed that the kitchen staff and several busboys repeatedly harassed them. One […]

News Notes: Big Child Labor Settlement

Sears Roebuck & Co. has agreed to pay a $325,000 fine to settle allegations that it violated federal child labor laws. Investigators allegedly found violations involving a total of 227 minors at over 60% of the Sears stores that were investigated. The violations included allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to operate power-driven equipment and letting teens […]

News Notes: Worker With Disabled Child Protected By The ADA, Court Rules

An employee who claimed she was fired because her newborn daughter had a disability has been given the green light to sue her employer under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Karen Abdel-Khalek, who worked for Tenenbaum and Associates, Inc., gave birth to a baby with serious health problem. Several months later, while Abdel-Khalek was on […]

News Notes: New Tools For Locating Wage And Salary Data

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics has developed a new tool that allows you to easily search existing wage and salary surveys for specific occupations in different geographic areas. The program is available free on CD-ROM, and the government hopes to put it on the Internet sometime within the next year. To receive a copy, […]

Unemployment Compensation: Contested Claim Backfires Into $1.3 Million Lawsuit; 4 Must-Know Guidelines For Handling Claims

Some employers routinely protest claims for unemployment benefits without much consideration of the facts of each case. But one company recently discovered that an automatic challenge can boomerang into a costly lawsuit. We’ll look at what happened and offer some practical legal tips on how to approach unemployment insurance claims.

ADA Reasonable Accommodations: Color-Blind Applicant Wins $300,000; What The Employer Did Wrong

It’s common for employers to administer tests to applicants or employees up for promotion to be sure the candidate has what it takes to do the job. But as one Southern California employer recently discovered, you can run into serious trouble if you automatically disqualify someone who can’t pass a test due to a medical […]

Terminating And Disciplining Employees: Employer To Pay Four Years’ Back Wages For Firing One-Man Striker; Important Tips For Avoiding Labor Law Problems

If an employee makes unjustified complaints about wages and hours, you may be tempted to brand the person as a troublemaker. You might even take disciplinary action if the griping continues. But a new National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling cautions that even a one-employee protest can be a protected activity under federal labor law-landing […]

Hiring Temps And Independent Contractors: Employers Brace For Fallout From New Microsoft Ruling; How To Avoid Owing Benefits

The federal appeals court covering California ruled several years ago that software giant Microsoft Corp. had to pay certain retroactive employee benefits to workers improperly classified as independent contractors. Now, the same court has made clear that its earlier ruling will require Microsoft to provide millions of dollars in stock-purchase rights not only to contractors, […]

News Notes: Religious Employees Not Covered By Anti-Discrimination Laws

A California Court of Appeal has ruled that employment decisions made by religious institutions about ministerial employees, like clergy members, are not covered by state anti-discrimination laws. The case was brought by a female chaplain at Chapman University. The chaplain claimed that her hours were cut back in retaliation for reporting incidents of alleged sexual […]

News Notes: Pension Reform May Be Coming; IRA Payroll Deductions Urged

Several bills pending in Congress could impact your pension plans. HR 1102 would increase the amount workers can contribute to 401(k) accounts and require faster vesting of matching employer contributions. It would also introduce new Roth 401(k)s and 403(b)s, allowing employees to contribute after-tax dollars but receive tax-free retirement benefits. Another measure, S 659, would […]