Author: Tammy Binford

Great applicant, great employee, or both? Tips on finding the best

Want to nudge Bill Gates down a bit on the list of wealthiest people? Just come up with a formula for making the perfect hire. Employers the world over will beat a path to your door and compensate you handsomely. But if you can’t come up with such a formula, you can still improve your […]

NLRB resurrects proposal on speeding up union elections

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is reprising its 2011 effort to change the rules related to union representation—an effort that sparked opposition from employers then and will surely do so again. A statement from the NLRB says that in substance, the proposed amendments are identical to the representation procedure changes first put forth in […]

Federal contractors facing new regulations: Tips for compliance

Employers doing business with the federal government need to mark March 24 in red on their calendars. That’s when major parts of new regulations affecting how they recruit and hire veterans and people with disabilities take effect.  The Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) requires contractors to take affirmative action to employ veterans covered […]

From Gattaca to GINA: Use of genetic information in workplace is problematic

If there is one thing that is universal about the entertainment world, it’s that it makes us all feel inadequate. Yes, with the airbrushed photos and the digital editing techniques, the stars and starlets who grace the covers of magazines and show up on the big screen all seem to have something (or multiple things) […]

Human rights claim disallowed; victim was part of the harassment

By Nicola Sutton In December 2013 we reported on the allegations faced by the Miami Dolphins that one of its players had been bullied and harassed by his teammates, an issue faced by many employers. Sometimes these issues are complicated when a complaining employee has been or is an active participant in the complained-of behavior. […]

Maine Law Court issues groundbreaking discrimination opinion

by Peter D. Lowe and Connor Beatty On Thursday, January 30, Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court issued a groundbreaking and controversial decision. The Law Court ruled that a school district discriminated against one of its students when it told the student she couldn’t use the female restroom because she is transgendered. Although this decision directly affects […]

The HR guide to Super Bowl XLVIII

by Mark I. Schickman Sometimes the Super Bowl is a great game, but more often, it’s a blowout long before the dip and punch disappear. In case we need something to hold our interest between the $8-million-a-minute commercials, here are some employment law points to think about as the Seahawks and Broncos square off, representing […]

Supreme Court favors employer in donning, doffing case

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the employer in a closely watched donning and doffing case. The high court ruled on January 27 that U.S. Steel Corp. did not have to pay a group of employees for time spent changing into and out of certain protective gear. In Sandifer v. U.S. Steel […]

Micro-units: fermenting new labor problems

by Martin J. Saunders The cornerstone of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is employees’ right to self-organize in a unit appropriate for the purposes of collective bargaining. The NLRA confers on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) wide discretion to determine in each case whether the unit appropriate for purposes of collective bargaining is […]