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Discrimination / Harassment

Harassment a problem in the past? That’s no excuse for not hiring women

05/11/2011

Some work environments are more prone to sexual harassment than others. That shouldn’t keep you from hiring women for positions in a largely male workplace. The answer is to educate em­ployees about harassment and then punish anyone who violates your anti-harassment policy.

Black Jacksonville firefighters sue for race bias in testing

05/11/2011
A group of black firefighters are suing the city of Jacksonville and their union, alleging that white firefighters illegally had an opportunity to view promotional tests before they were administered.

Bay Pines VA Center chief ends tumultuous reign

05/11/2011
The beleaguered director of the Bay Pines Veterans Administration Hospital in St. Peters­burg has announced he will retire once the Department of Veterans Affairs finds a replacement. His tenure at Bay Pines has been marred by a string of retaliation suits filed by employees.

Questionable staffing moves toss transit CEO from driver’s seat

05/11/2011
The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) will have a new chief executive after a 7-4 vote by county commissioners. Con­troversial transit CEO David Armijo has been dismissed after several employees complained about his actions.

Co-worker slights aren’t enough for retaliation claim

05/11/2011

Courts recognize that employers can’t control everything employees do. Judges expect employers to educate workers on appropriate conduct, but they don’t expect perfection. If you hear that co-workers have been giving a hard time to an em­ployee who has filed discrimination charges, check it out and tell them to stop. But don’t lose any sleep over minor slights.

Act fast to stop any potential retaliation against worker who complains about bias, harassment

05/11/2011

Many employees who file discrimination claims are on the alert for potential retaliation. That’s why HR should always check back with employees who file harassment or discrimination charges. If those employees report anything that smacks of retaliation, fix the problem right away.

When is sending 64 ‘sexts’ in one day NOT harassment?

05/11/2011
Ever wonder what role employees who make sexual harassment claims have in fixing the problem? One court recently ruled they at least have to give their employer the opportunity to try to right the wrong …

Dayton: the next New Haven? Police hiring tests to be tossed

05/06/2011

Dayton officials are poised to toss out 748 passing police-hiring exam scores and conduct oral interviews to improve minority hiring for the city’s police department. At first glance, the situation in Day­­ton seems to resemble the case in Ricci v. DeStefano, a 2009 U.S. Supreme Court case. There are important differences, however.

Even lawyers ‘lawyer up’ in employment law cases

05/04/2011
Former Ropes & Gray partner Patricia Martone is suing the multinational law firm for age and sex discrimina­tion and ERISA violations. According to her complaint, senior partners pressured her to turn over some of her key clients to younger, male partners. When Martone refused, she says, she was fired.

Eaton Corp. faces sex discrimination suit

05/04/2011
Two former employees at electronics company Eaton Corp. have filed suit in a New York federal court, claiming the company systematically discriminates against women.