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Employment Law

Accommodate Reduced Hours For Pregnant Worker

11/01/2002

Q. I have a salaried employee who is pregnant. She brought in a doctor’s note that says her hours need to be cut to six per day. Can I either reduce her pay or have her work six days a week? —M.S., Virginia

Who Pays for Uniforms?

11/01/2002

Q. We require employees to wear uniforms. Can we deduct from their paychecks the money to pay for the uniform or clean it? —L.B., Massachusetts

Casual comments put you on FMLA notice

10/01/2002
Reginald Moore, a security-guard supervisor at a Virginia courthouse, told his boss he needed time off to care for his wife who had emphysema. A few months later, Moore said he …

Worker can’t sue for job switch if you have legitimate reasons

10/01/2002
Barbara Policastro was a Northwest Airlines’ sales rep whose territory covered Cincinnati, where she lived. She also had to spend about five days a month servicing cities in northern Kentucky about …

Employee/contractor question hinges on employer control

10/01/2002
Katherine Kerr, a television stage manager, worked on a free-lance basis for a production company, which provided broadcast personnel to TV stations. After a few years on the job, the production …

Go on offense to establish defense: Train staff in anti-harassment rules

10/01/2002
Maria Gaines, a corrections officer at a New Jersey county jail, claimed that one evening her supervisor grabbed her and kissed her. Then he allegedly joked about it with other high-ranking …

Don’t deny ADA accommodation due to ‘potential’ seniority break

10/01/2002
After 18 years as a truck driver, Donald Dilley developed back trouble and was limited by his doctor to lifting less than 60 pounds at a time. Dilley asked for routes …

Foreign workers count toward Title VII’s 15-employee minimum

10/01/2002
A worker was subjected to verbal and physical abuse at a Mexican plant of an American company. He sued for harassment. A district court tossed out the suit, saying the …

Be cautious with FMLA firings; ADA, FMLA can overlap

10/01/2002
When Diantha Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer, she took medical leave covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). While she was on leave, her employer became concerned that …

Supreme Court outlook: All quiet on employment-law front

10/01/2002
In its 2001-02 term, which ended in June, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a whirlwind of employment-law decisions. But as the high court plans to open its 2002-03 term …