• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Employment Law

Whistle-Blower fired over fire

06/01/2007

An Ohio employer got burned after it fired an employee two days after he told an insurance inspector about a malfunctioning fire alarm …

Jeff Wyler dealerships hit for $2.3 million in EEOC decree

06/01/2007

Eleven Cincinnati auto dealerships owned by Jeff Wyler will pay $2.3 million to a class of 39 women for refusing to hire them because of their gender …

Alcoa workers wonder who will protect them from their union

06/01/2007

Employees of Alcoa’s truck wheel manufacturing plant in Cleveland have filed unfair labor practice charges against their union with the National Labor Relations Board …

Aliens and postmarked babies shoot down manager’s case

06/01/2007

The manager of a Dave & Buster’s Restaurant in Cincinnati lost his age-discrimination claim because the case was ruled primarily circumstantial by a U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio …

The court affirms: Your employee has the right to an attorney

06/01/2007

An Ohio appeals court significantly expanded employees’ rights recently when it upheld a fired employee’s right to trial after her employer terminated her because she threatened to talk to her attorney …

Attorney’s letter? Proceed with plans, but back up decision

06/01/2007

Employees who realize their jobs are in peril sometimes think pulling out the “lawsuit card” will save them. They’ll meet with an attorney, who will try to head you off with a threatened lawsuit. It sometimes succeeds because it casts the potential discharge in a sinister new light—as retaliation for threatening to sue. Here’s how to counter it and still carry through with your planned action …

Train managers to adopt poker face when facing complaint

06/01/2007

To avoid triggering retaliation lawsuits, train managers and supervisors on how to react to a complaint. First and foremost, explain that all complaints should be received professionally and without any apparent display of disappointment or emotion. Remind them: No comment allowed …

Employer statements to NASD can’t be the basis for defamation lawsuits

06/01/2007

Attention: HR pros in financial services firms: If you’ve worried that reporting a terminated employee’s alleged wrongdoing to the National Association of Securities Dealers might leave you open to a defamation lawsuit, relax.  The Court of Appeals of New York has ruled such statements are absolutely privileged …

Resigning for newfound faith doesn’t justify unemployment compensation

06/01/2007

New York employees who quit their jobs for good cause are generally eligible for unemployment compensation payments. But does a newfound faith requiring no Sunday work justify quitting? …

‘Lipstick bandit’ on the loose in NYC welfare office

06/01/2007

In something straight out of “Benny Hill,” a New York City welfare office manager overseeing 21 Human Resources Administration employees terrorized her female staff by chasing them around their desks, planting heavy lipstick smooches on their cheeks …