Author: Holly Jones, Senior Legal Editor

Senate Hearing on Pay Equity May Discuss Paycheck Fairness Act

A Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee hearing on pay equity, scheduled for Thursday, March 11, may revive discussion of the stalled Paycheck Fairness Act. The Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182; H.R. 11) was sponsored before the Senate in January 2009 by then-Senator Hillary Clinton and Representative Rosa DeLauro. Representative DeLauro will appear […]

Hot List: The Library Journal’s Best Business Books of 2009

In its 133rd year of publication, Library Journal is the oldest and most respected publication covering the library field, with review sections evaluating nearly 7000 books annually, along with hundreds of audiobooks, videos, databases, web sites, and systems that libraries buy.  Recently, Library Journal released its list of the 32 best business books of 2009, […]

‘Bring-Your-Gun to-Work’ Bill Awaits Governor’s Signature

by David Wagner, Mitzi Martin, and Susan Kline Late Thursday, the Indiana Legislature passed, with overwhelming support, a bill prohibiting employers from keeping employees’ legally-possessed firearms off their property, so long as the firearms are kept out of sight in a locked vehicle. The bill, which mirrors laws in 12 states and was supported by […]

Posturing, Politics, and Partisanship . . . But No Progress

I came away from last week’s health care summit scratching my head. What exactly was accomplished that moved our country one step closer to resolution of the health care debate? From what I can tell, absolutely nothing. There was certainly plenty of posturing. Both Democrats and Republicans pretended to be interested in working with the […]

Baby, Baby, Please

Litigation Value: Not much. With collective attentions devoted almost entirely to the miracle of childbirth, the Scranton branch didn’t leave us much to work with tonight. Whereas Dwight Schrute’s senseless destruction of Jim and Pam Halpert’s kitchen cabinetry exposes him to a cornucopia of civil and criminal liabilities in his own right, it’s unlikely that […]

Making the case to keep human resources

Making the Case for Keeping HR

In today’s world of corporate belt-tightening and budget cutbacks, you might find yourself wondering whether the expense of an HR staff is actually justified by the benefits. After all, HR doesn’t create revenue for the company — it doesn’t operate the machinery that produces the widgets, and it doesn’t drive sales. In fact, the perception […]

Male-Male Sexual Harassment Claims on the Rise

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), sexual harassment charges by men have doubled since 1992, accounting for 16 percent of the 12,696 sexual harassment charges filed in the 2009 fiscal year. And while female-male sexual harassment certainly makes up some portion of those claims, it’s evident that male-male harassment claims are also on […]

Wal-Mart Settles Sex Discrimination Suit for $11.7 Million

Megaretailer Wal-Mart, called the country’s largest private employer, has agreed to pay $11.7 million to settle a class-action sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). In addition to the money, the settlement announced on March 1 requires Wal-Mart to provide jobs to class members as they become available. The EEOC’s suit […]

ICE to Inspect 180 Employers in South

By Hector Chichoni On Tuesday, March 2, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it had sent 180 notices of inspections (NOIs) to employers in Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. At least 30 NOIs have been sent to employers in Tennessee and another 30 or so to employers located in southern and central […]

Price is Right Model ‘Comes on Down’ with Lawsuit

It’s not all fun and games on the set of game show The Price is Right. A former model on the show, Brandi Cochran, filed a suit in Superior Court in Los Angeles on March 1 claiming she was harassed and discriminated against for being pregnant, according to a report in The Wrap, an entertainment […]