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Employment Law

Pants suit doesn’t look too becoming on MTA

09/01/2007

A Pentecostal bus driver fired by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) for refusing to wear pants because it violated her religious beliefs has sued and is receiving legal aid from an Orthodox Jewish organization. Agudath Israel of America came to her aid because Orthodox Jewish women, like Pentecostals, can wear only skirts …

Are your employees headed for overtime? Maybe not

09/01/2007

A Federal Court of Appeals recently ruled that auto mechanics paid on a flat-rate system are exempt from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The court found that the flat-rate system used in the auto repair industry is akin to a commission system for FLSA purposes. The case opens the door for some employers to restructure their pay system to avoid costly overtime …

Court to decide if changing leave policy violates USERRA

09/01/2007

With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan showing no signs of abating, more and more employees in the National Guard and Reserve have to spend time away from the workplace. For employers, managing a work force with more than one service member on staff has become something of a logistical nightmare. And some employers are backing away from previously generous efforts to help service members balance military commitments and work …

OK to punish worker acting alone to end alleged harassment

09/01/2007

When it comes to sexual harassment, employers need a clear policy and a process that allows employees to come forward with claims. That’s really the only way an organization can protect itself. But what if an employee who thinks he’s being harassed ignores your policy and acts alone to contact the alleged harasser anonymously? If this “self-help” seems to threaten the alleged harasser, you can punish the employee without worrying about liability …

Make sure independent contractor honors pay obligations

09/01/2007

If your business is seasonal, you may rely on an independent contractor to provide extra workers during crunch times. Whether it’s harvesting a crop, having the office cleaned or counting inventory, you must take steps to ensure your contractor pays his or her employees minimum wage and overtime …

Catch phrases can be code for discrimination

09/01/2007

Does your organization use phrases such as “fits our culture” or “understands our vision” as part of the hiring decision? If so, you may be setting yourself up for a discrimination lawsuit. Why? Because courts and juries sometimes view such subjective language as evidence that something else lies behind those phrases …

Independent inquiry saves the day on supervisor harassment

09/01/2007

Employers can fairly easily limit their liability in sexual harassment cases. Rigorously enforcing a solid harassment policy does the trick. But supervisor harassment is another matter. When a supervisor allegedly harasses a subordinate, the employer is liable unless it can show that some “tangible employment action” by the supervisor didn’t adversely affect
the victim …

Whistle-Blower law doesn’t limit right to sue for nongovernment reporting

09/01/2007

Before the Illinois Whistleblower Act became law, employees could sue employers for retaliatory discharge if they reported wrongdoing either internally or to the government or the media. Some lawyers thought the act wiped out such broad employee protections. Now an Illinois appeals court has clarified that employees are protected even if they take their complaints outside an employer’s formal resolutions process …

Complaining about working conditions—And public policy violations—Also protected

09/01/2007

An employee who reports that his or her employer is violating state or federal law may be protected from discharge. The employee can sue for retaliatory discharge and also on the premise that firing him or her violates public policy …

Pharmaceutical reps hit Abbott with unpaid overtime suit

09/01/2007

A class of pharmaceutical sales representatives has filed suit against North Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories for unpaid overtime. The lawsuit claims that Abbott, like other drug makers, unlawfully classified pharmaceutical reps as salespeople. Salespeople are exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act …