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Big Bias Class Action Against FedEx Moves Forward

Last week, a federal judge in San Francisco granted class-action status to a lawsuit charging that approximately 10,000 African-American and Latino employees in FedEx Corp.’s western region were discriminated against on the basis of pay, discipline, and promotions. The company’s western region covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, […]

Blackberries at the Beach: Are Exempt Employees the New Wage Slaves?

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR’s founder and CEO explores the “Blackberries at the beach” phenomenon—the expectation of 24/7 availability even when on vacation. Do nonexempts need to be paid? Are exempts modern day wage slaves? At BLR’s last Employment Law Update conference, several speakers talked about the issue/problem/phenomenon of the “BlackBerry® at […]

Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity Protection Considered

By Stephen J. Stine The categories of persons entitled to legal protection under federal antidiscrimination law have remained the same for almost 20 years. The last major expansion of federal antidiscrimination protection occurred in 1990, when Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act to protect individuals with an actual or perceived disability or a history […]

Employers need to be ready for new California law on same-sex harassment

by Tara K. Clancy and Kristine W. Hanson A new California law means employees who file same-sex harassment cases should have an easier time getting relief from the courts. Senate Bill (SB) 292, which was signed into law in August and takes effect in January, means employees don’t have to have evidence that sexual desire […]

COBRA

Court Recasts ERISA/Tax Claim Under PHSA, Allowing COBRA Notice Case to Proceed

By Gwen Cofield Governmental employers and the benefit plans they sponsor are generally exempt from the Employee Retirement Income Security Act’s (ERISA) Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) provisions but are still required to offer COBRA coverage to qualified beneficiaries under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA).

News Notes: EEOC And Labor Department Team Up their Enforcement Efforts

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor have announced plans to share information and resources in enforcing anti-discrimination laws. Among other things, staff in the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division will be trained to detect violations of equal pay laws and share their findings with the EEOC. The agencies tout the […]

‘I Didn’t Know You Wanted Me Here Every Day!’

Yesterday’s issue emphasized the necessity of sharing your attendance expectations with employees. Here are the key points that BLR’s popular 10-Minute HR Trainer suggests you stress in employee training on attendance. 1. Employer Expectations Regarding Attendance Regular attendance is a requirement of every employee’s job. It is important because: High absenteeism rates reduce productivity. Absenteeism […]

Hot List: Bestselling Business Books on CD 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, February 23, in the “Business” category for books on CD. 1. The Secret (Unabridged, 4-CD Set) by Rhonda Byrne. A motivational book on positive thought for positive results. Byrne leads listeners through […]

7 Leadership Lessons from World Series Baseball Champions

By HR Consultant and Sports Executive Skip Weisman As baseball season starts, our guest columnist explains how lessons learned by sports teams can help business organizations. He knows because he’s led both. With dreams of a World Series championship dancing in their heads, 30 major league teams have just begun the 2007 major league baseball […]