Author: Federal Employment Law Insider

NLRB May Make Significant Changes Even Without EFCA

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) celebrated the 75th anniversary of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which created the Board. Commenting on the stalled so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), Chairman Wilma Liebman noted that congressional inaction on the EFCA may contribute to the “flip-flopping” with which the Board has been accused. She also […]

What Makes a Great Employee?

Frequently I’m asked, “What is the one thing that sets really great employees apart from the rest?” It’s an interesting question. I’m always surprised that people would assume that there might be a single common thread that ties all the best employees together. The questioners assume there is a single trait shared by the best […]

House Passes COBRA Subsidy Extension and Expansion

Update Dec. 21, 2009: President signs bill including COBRA subsidy extension By John Hickman and Ashley Gillihan The House voted 395-34 today to pass the COBRA subsidy extension and expansion as part of the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3326 — Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010. The text can be found as Section […]

HRHero Compensation Survey 2010 Results

HRHero’s Compensation 2010 survey results shows that wage and benefit issues continue to be a pressing problem for many companies and new issues are arising as employers try to deal with doing business in a vastly changed economy from two years ago. Here are some of the results 35% of survey respondents say their organization […]

Wal-Mart Allowed to Close Unionized Store: Supreme Court of Canada

By Marc Ouellet and Louise Béchamp On November 27, 2009, in two cases involving Wal-Mart (Plourde v. Wal-Mart Canada Corp. and Desbiens v. Wal-Mart Canada Corp.), the Supreme Court of Canada rendered its much-awaited decision on an employer’s right to close operations for alleged antiunion reasons. The Supreme Court decisions rule that Wal-Mart could close […]

U.S. Supreme Court to Address Privacy of Text Messages

The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would hear arguments in a case involving sexually explicit text messages sent by employees using their employer-provided pagers. The issue for the court is whether the employer violated its employees’ privacy rights by reading the messages. The case involved several police officers with the Ontario, California, […]

Hot List: Bestselling “Business Life” books on Amazon.com

Amazon.com updates its list of the bestselling books every hour. Here is a snapshot of what is hot right now, this Monday morning, December 14, in the “Business Life” section of the “Business and Investing” category. 1. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths by […]

Tap Into Generational IT Insight

M. Lee Smith Publishers’ President Dan Oswald comments on the generational divide that most companies are experiencing in relation to technology and offers five tips for how employers can harness the know-how and insight of their younger employees. I recently handed a newspaper column written by Financial Times columnist Luke Johnson to my 18-year old […]

“English-Only” Lessons from a Taos Motel

Employment law attorney Robert P. Tinnin, Jr. tackles the tough question of whether an employer can implement an”English-only” policy. Q A couple moved to Taos, New Mexico, from Abilene, Texas, last summer and purchased a deteriorating old motel, hoping to rehab it as they’ve done with several other properties. According to news stories, the husband, […]

EEOC Claims Continue to Rise

According to its annual report issued November 16, 2009, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received 93,277 private-sector discrimination charges in fiscal year (FY) 2009, its second highest total in the past 20 years. In addition, the EEOC obtained record relief of almost $300 million for alleged discrimination victims through administrative enforcement. Breakdown of Charges […]