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Discrimination / Harassment

Pregnancy shouldn’t affect employees’ discipline

01/01/2007

Q. If an employee is already on probation when she becomes pregnant, how does an employer continue with progressive discipline measures, including possible discharge? —P.A.

Minor annoyances at work don’t add up to retaliation

01/01/2007

Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court drafted a broad new legal standard for judging whether a company retaliated against an employee for complaining about discrimination. Now, the lower courts are starting to define what that standard means …

Consensus Decisions Can Deflect Firing-Bias Claims

01/01/2007

One of the best ways to make sure a termination decision sticks is to adopt a consensus approach to the decision-making …

Employee’s ‘Audio Diary’ Spawns Lawsuit Against Pittsburgh TV Station

01/01/2007

CBS News sued a former administrative assistant at its KDKA-TV station in Pittsburgh for unlawfully recording phone calls, reading confidential e-mail and gathering private salary information. The company wants her to give the information back, including an “audio diary” she kept of phone calls for six months …

Zero tolerance policy means zip, says York County employee

01/01/2007

York County’s zero tolerance sexual harassment policy didn’t add up to much for a former supervisor at the York County Youth Development Center, who has filed a federal sexual harassment lawsuit against her boss …

Family and children: taboo subjects in PA job interviews

01/01/2007

Asking prospective employees whether they’re married or have children is not illegal in Pennsylvania, but it’s a very bad idea …

Alleged Anti-Woman Comment Sparks Bias Case at Pittsburgh Firm

01/01/2007

A female attorney specializing in employment and labor law has filed a sexual discrimination lawsuit against a Pittsburgh law firm, claiming the environment was hostile to women …

State police officer wins $340,000 judgment in retaliation lawsuit

01/01/2007

A Gibson state police corporal was awarded $340,000 by a federal jury in a lawsuit alleging the department retaliated against him for reporting wrongdoing by fellow officers …

New civil union law: How must employers respond?

01/01/2007

Now that New Jersey has become the third state to allow civil union among same-sex couples, employers need to rethink some of their HR policies and practices, particularly with employee benefits …

Use unemployment comp decision to defend a bias lawsuit

01/01/2007

Here’s another good reason to aggressively contest unemployment compensation claims when you have strong evidence that the company fired the employee for a good cause (such as lying or stealing): You can use an unemployment compensation ruling to prove, in a later discrimination lawsuit, that you fired an employee for a valid, nondiscriminatory reason …