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Employment Law

Law prof sues for retaliation in wake of husband’s own suit

06/01/2009

Law instructor Rosanne Platt has filed an EEOC and Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division lawsuit against her former employer, the St. Mary’s University School of Law. Platt alleges that her contract was not renewed after her husband filed a lawsuit against the San Antonio law school.

CDC: 20% in U.S. have some disability

06/01/2009

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five Americans has a disability. The agency said it expects that number to grow as the U.S. population’s average age rises.

Are you ill prepared? 13 steps to stay ahead of the H1N1 virus

06/01/2009

In light of the H1N1 virus pandemic scare, now’s the time to make sure your organization has an effective pandemic plan in place. As public health officials prepare for a vaccination campaign this fall, here are 13 steps you can take to deal with H1N1.

Are noncompete agreements legitimate in Texas?

06/01/2009

Q. Can noncompetition agreements be enforced against at-will employees in Texas?

Must we pay out unused vacation days when we fire employees or they quit?

06/01/2009

Q. Is an employer required to pay workers for their unused vacation days when they resign or are terminated?

It’s time for a policy on employee Twittering

05/27/2009

Whether they’re shooting off their own “tweets” or just following others, employees using Twitter—the fastest-growing social networking site—are creating liability and PR risks with their 140-character rants, raves and company gossip.

Feds shift target of immigration enforcement to employers

05/27/2009

The Department of Homeland Security announced last month it is shifting its immigration enforcement efforts to target employers that hire undocumented workers, rather than targeting the workers. The new emphasis should put employers on notice to pay close attention to their employment eligibility verification processes. Failing to comply can carry a high price.

How to legally handle chronically late workers

05/27/2009

Employers expect employees to get to work on time. Occasional problems with traffic or family issues sometimes make employees late. But chronic tardiness is another thing altogether. While most employers track tardiness occurrences, they should do more. How?

The $10 million ‘manager from the past’: Teach bosses the risk of age-related remarks

05/27/2009

If you need more incentive to persuade supervisors to stop making negative comments about employees’ ages, consider this: A jury recently awarded a fired employee more than $10 million in punitive damages for age discrimination after what may seem like fairly insignificant ageist talk.

Investigation results don’t have to be accurate—just honest

05/27/2009

When HR investigates discrimination complaints, you don’t have to act like a court of criminal law, deciding whether an employee is telling the truth “beyond a reasonable doubt.” So don’t feel paralyzed if a discrimination investigation boils down to one employee’s word against another’s. Use your best judgment to decide who is telling the truth and go with that judgment.