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Discrimination / Harassment

Unions say ALL workers should eligible for state minimum wage

04/01/2007

The AFL-CIO is working to overturn provisions of Ohio House bill 690, which excludes farm, home health care and amusement park workers from the state’s recent minimum wage increase …

Understanding religious accommodations in Ohio workplaces

04/01/2007

Ohio mirrors America’s growing diversity in many ways. Today, mosques occupy old churches; co-workers wear burqas and yarmulkes; and some employees request “prayer breaks.” Religious diversity is a reason for celebration, but it also presents challenges in the workplace

USF Holland to pay $700,000 for race bias at Nashville plant

04/01/2007

Two black employees working in the Nashville plant of Michigan-based USF Holland recently won $350,000 each in a race-discrimination lawsuit …

No disability discrimination if worker isn’t qualified for job

04/01/2007

A hospital secretary who suffered chronic arm pain after puncturing her thumb with a contaminated pin recently lost her disability-discrimination lawsuit …

Separation agreement protects employer from age bias claim

04/01/2007

A 55-year-old employee whose job was eliminated in a company restructuring recently lost his age-discrimination case before the 6th Circuit Court. Reason: He had signed a separation agreement waiving all claims against the company …

Quick fix can help avoid harassment liability

04/01/2007

Q. One of our male supervisors fired what we in HR thought was a poor-performing female employee. During the exit interview, the terminated employee told us that her supervisor fired her because he was sexually harassing her and she threatened to report him if it didn’t stop. It turned out that her claim was legitimate. We immediately called her back to work.

We thought we had dodged a bullet but, unfortunately, we’ve been contacted by her attorney, who threatened a lawsuit unless we agree to settle her claim for a lot of money. We will contact an attorney to represent us, but we want to know if the fact that we brought her right back to work is going to make a difference? —L.W.

Should you pay employees to change unhealthy behaviors?

04/01/2007

Cash is king when it comes to wellness incentives. Studies show that the almighty dollar is the best motivator for employee participation in wellness activities, followed closely by reductions in health insurance premiums …

Make sure employees know about internal job openings

04/01/2007

It pays to make every effort to publicize job openings to your current staff and make clear how employees should apply. If you don’t, you face potential discrimination claims

Two Philly officers file lawsuit citing lax response to stalker

04/01/2007

Two married police officers in Philadelphia’s K-9 Unit have sued the police department for allowing a female chief inspector to harass and stalk them for more than a year …

Former editor sues Wilkes-Barre newspaper for age bias, retaliation

04/01/2007

Allison Walzer, former editor of the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, has added a retaliation claim to a pending discrimination lawsuit against the newspaper, where she worked for 24 years …