Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
After a jury awarded Jill Lansdale $1.1 million in her gender-bias lawsuit against Hi-Health Supermarket in Arizona, a court promptly reduced the award to $200,000, which is the maximum permitted under federal Title VII (for employers the size of Hi-Health). Lansdale argued that the cap discriminated against women, especially because race-bias suits aren’t subject to […]
A group of 88 grocery workers will share $248,000 in back wages under a settlement announced between the U.S. Department of Labor and Mi Pueblo Markets in San Jose. The settlement arose out of an investigation by the DOL revealing that Mi Pueblo failed to pay some workers premium rates for overtime hours. What’s more, […]
If an employee’s name or Social Security number differs from information in the federal Social Security Administration’s records, the agency sends out a “no-match” letter to notify the employer of the discrepancy. The letter, which can list one or more employees, asks that correct information be submitted within 60 days.
Suppose a nightclub waitress complains to her employer that male customers often grope her. Her employer ignores her reports, turning a blind eye to the customers’ actions. Can the waitress sue the employer for workplace harassment? A California Court of Appeal recently faced this issue and—in a controversial opinion that may not hold up—has decided […]
Newly enacted legislation, A.B. 2837, boosts penalties and fines for certain workplace safety violations, revamps Cal/OSHA’s investigation and reporting procedures and requires the agency to provide bilingual services. Here’s a summary of what to expect when the law takes effect Jan. 1, 2003.
The U.S. Labor Department’s Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration has published rules to implement a new federal law”the Sarbanes-Oxley Act”; that, among other things, requires 401(k)-type plans to give participants 30 days’ advance notice of individual retirement plan blackout periods. The rules apply to blackout periods occurring on or after Jan. 26, 2003. We’ll explain […]
You take precautions to prevent workplace harassment by providing employees with up-to-date harassment policies, by training management on how to prevent harassment and by setting up an avenue for complaints. When an employee reports an instance of inappropriate behavior, you promptly investigate and respond following set procedures. But then an employee sues you, claiming a […]
The employee leasing business is booming, and many employers are lured by its promises of reduced administrative headaches and improved employee benefits. But, as we discussed last month in Part 1 of our special two-part series on employee leasing, signing up with an employee leasing company can also bring some unexpected financial and legal risks. […]
Suppose your company is undergoing a merger, and employees are offered a bonus for promising to stay on for a certain period of time—perhaps three or six months—during the rocky transition period. Do you have to pay the full bonus to an employee who goes out on family leave for some of that period? A […]
Francisco Vasquez, a Los Angeles County probation officer, sued the county for discrimination and retaliation after he was involuntarily transferred and a warning letter was placed in his personnel file. The federal Ninth Circuit threw out Vasquez’s lawsuit, however, finding neither act was an adverse employment action. The transfer wasn’t adverse simply because Vasquez preferred […]