Tag: Employment law

The Picket Line

The strike continues and it doesn’t look like it is going to end any time soon. Indeed, one blog reported yesterday that negotiations are actually going backwards! To make matters worse, it looks like several actors are honoring the picket line. I think we might be going without our beloved “Office” for several more weeks. […]

Biometric Hand Scanners vs. Religious Beliefs: What Does the Law Say?

by Daniel Pugen McCarthy Tetrault Biometric hand scanners vs. religious beliefs: What does the law say? In Canada, employers must accommodate their employees’ religious beliefs to the point of “undue hardship” for the employer. But what if you don’t consider an employee’s religious beliefs “mainstream”? That doesn’t matter, according to a recent decision by an […]

Ontario Adds Holiday to Celebrate Families; Other Provinces May Follow

by Daniel Pugen McCarthy Tetrault Following its recent re-election in October, the Ontario provincial government led by Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty established a new public holiday called “Family Day.” The holiday falls on the third Monday in February each year. Ontario joins the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in creating a public holiday in February. […]

Managing Absences Related to Injury and Illness

by Daniel Pugen McCarthy Tetrault An increasingly difficult task for HR professionals is managing absences related to injury and illness. How far can you go to make an employee prove he or she is legitimately ill or legitimately able to return to work without restriction? The following are some tips to help your Canadian business […]

Must-Know Facts about Employment Contracts in Canada

McCarthy Tetrault Q. When does an employer have an employment contract with its employees? A. Every employer in Canada has an employment contract, whether written or unwritten, with each of its nonunion employees. Sometimes, only some of the terms are in writing. When necessary, courts will imply reasonable terms in the absence of any express […]

A Shameless Plug: Vote For Our Beloved Blawg!

We’ve been selected as one of the ABA Journal’s Blawg 100, a list of the 100 best blogs for lawyers as selected by the editors of the ABA Journal, the flagship magazine of the American Bar Association. And they’re running a contest to determine which are the most popular. We are under the “gossip” category. […]

The Strike Continues

Well, the strike of the writers’ union continues.  I don’t do that much traditional labor work so I’ve asked my colleague, Jerry Coker, to help me out as he is the firm guru on all things traditional labor.  He is also a huge fan of the show.  Here is what Jerry had to say: Nothing too funny about a […]

The Truth About Alcohol at Office Parties

‘Twas the night of the office party, and all through the houses, Employees were getting ready, and so were their spouses. Ties were knotted and straightened with care. Women put on dresses and combed through their hair. The children were ready, all showered and fed And continued to play Xbox until it was time for […]

The Strike

Looks like the folks at Dunder Mifflin will still be teaching us valuable lessons — even when they don’t know it.  Check back on Friday morning for some valuable tips on labor relations brought to us courtesy of the screen writers guild!

The Deposition

LITIGATION VALUE: $200,000 (including Dunder Mifflin’s attorneys fees and deposition costs) Well, it finally happened. An employee has sued Dunder Mifflin for wrongful termination. I’m not usually one to say “I told you so” but, somehow, I just can’t stop myself this morning. While it is probably not illegal to fire someone for getting a […]