Tag: discrimination

Employer Pays $50K for Refusing to Hire Worker in Methadone Treatment Program

A temporary staffing agency based in Baltimore has agreed to pay $50,000 to resolve claims that it refused to hire an applicant because of her participation in a methadone treatment program. Randstad, US, LP entered into the agreement to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging that its actions violated the Americans with […]

Court: Employers Can Condition Health Benefit on Wellness Participation

An employer may require its workers to participate in a wellness program in order to receive health insurance benefits, a federal district court has ruled, dismissing a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Granting summary judgment for the employer, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin said it disagreed […]

Thompson’s Top HR Stories of 2015

The start of a new year offers the opportunity to take stock, and to plan ahead. It’s anyone’s guess what 2016 will hold for human resources professionals, but looking back at the stories that drew the most interest from our reader community provides some useful insights on what to watch for in the new year. […]

Age, sex, and sports media

Sports reporter Colleen Dominguez is 54 years old and has enjoyed a successful career in sports journalism including a lengthy stint at ESPN. Dominguez recently jumped to Fox Sports 1 and believes her age and gender are the only plausible reasons that FS1 has cut her broadcasting assignments and diminished her career. These are her allegations in […]

Friend or foe: illegal or inappropriate interview questions

by Michelle Dougherty Asking illegal or inappropriate interview questions is one of the easiest ways for an employer to create a risk for discrimination claims. It isn’t unusual for polite, friendly, personal, non-job-specific conversation to be part of the interview process. However, when conducting an interview, you must always be aware that even indirect or […]

New Connecticut law protects interns from discrimination, harassment

by Ashley Harrison Sakakeeny Employers in Connecticut should update their antidiscrimination and antiharassment policies to cover unpaid interns as a new state law becomes effective October 1. The new law, Public Act 15-56, prohibits discrimination and harassment against interns much like current laws protect employees. It prohibits discrimination based on an intern’s race, color, age, […]

Target Pays $2.8M to Resolve EEOC Charges

Target has agreed to pay $2.8 million to resolve U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission allegations that it violated several nondiscrimination laws. The agreement was reached through the EEOC’s conciliation process. During an investigation, the EEOC found reasonable cause to believe that the retailer was using employment assessments that disproportionately screened out applicants for exempt professional […]

Increased Job Duties Fail to Support ADA, ADEA Charges

By Robert Teachout Changes in job duties and increased responsibilities that an employee claimed made his job “untenable” were not sufficient to be an adverse action under the ADA or the ADEA, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled. The court held that the increased duties did not constitute a material change in […]

Next phase of Houston’s equal rights law set

As of June 27, more employers will be covered by the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO). The ordinance adds to the protected classes covered under federal and state civil rights laws. HERO took effect on June 27, 2014, covering employers with 50 or more employees. On June 27, 2015, the law will cover employers with […]