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Employment Law

Mercer County caseworker loses discrimination suit

09/01/2007

Jeffrey Hawthorne, a Mercer County Children and Youth Services (CYS) caseworker, sued the agency for gender discrimination, alleging his supervisors wanted to create an “all-female work force,” and “treated men differently from women” …

The hitchhiker’s guide to hiring, harassment and firing

09/01/2007

Tameisha Wilson, of Penn Hills, has filed an EEOC lawsuit against Grand Rapids, MI-based Gainey Transportation, claiming she was subjected to sexual comments, threatening language and unwanted touching after she joined the company as a trainee in October 2006 …

Court finds Del Monte didn’t cook promotion decisions

09/01/2007

A Pittsburgh system/supply analyst sued Del Monte Foods for race and age discrimination after being passed over for several promotions despite excellent reviews …

State looking to end-Run ERISA on health care

09/01/2007

The state of Pennsylvania is looking for a way to force employers to pay their share of health care costs without running afoul of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) …

Woodmen Life settles harassment suit for $285,000

09/01/2007

Lincoln, NE-based Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society will pay $285,000 plus a $50,000 annuity to Louella Rollins, a Pittsburgh-area woman who served as state manager for Woodmen in Pennsylvania. Rollins claimed that a man she supervised complained openly about having to work for a woman. She said the employee also grabbed and touched her …

Drug testing: Minimize lawsuit risk with smart policy

09/01/2007

You have the right to demand a drug-free workplace, but employees also have reasonable rights to privacy. That’s why drug testing and substance-abuse prevention programs carry big-time legal risks if they’re not managed properly. Employers can safely administer drug testing before hiring someone, during a fitness-for-duty test and after a preventable accident …

Travel time normally not payable

09/01/2007

Q. Do I have to pay my employees for travel time? …

The elements of a valid noncompete agreement

09/01/2007

Q. What standards must Pennsylvania employers follow when drafting noncompete agreements? …

Employee access to personnel files

09/01/2007

Q. Who has the right to view personnel files? …

Phone privacy: It’s your property

09/01/2007

Q. Can employers eavesdrop on their employees’ phone conversations at work, or listen to their voicemail messages in the company voicemail system? …