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

Employment Law

No need to bend seniority rules to accommodate disabled employees

06/01/2002
Continuing a pattern of narrowing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that, in most cases, employers don’t have to override their seniority system to accommodate …

Don’t pry too deeply when seeking proof of sick leave

06/01/2002
Under her employer’s sick-leave policy, corrections officer Belinda Fountain had to provide a diagnosis of her medical condition every time she was absent. This “medical certification” had to be on …

Overtime pay doesn’t have to apply to after-hours job training

06/01/2002
Four campus police officers were required to be certified as emergency medical technicians (EMTs) within one year of being hired as probationary police officers. Most of the required classes occurred outside …

Volunteers can’t collect on Title VII claims

06/01/2002
A bar association member volunteered to develop a program for the association on her own time, with no pay. After fending off sexual advances from the program’s chairman, she sued for …

Religious bias: No special exceptions to union pact

06/01/2002
Trucker David Virts refused to work with women during “sleeper runs” because of his religious beliefs. After his first refusal, he was warned. After his second refusal, the company fired him. …

Drop any hint of youth-oriented hiring policy

06/01/2002
A 45-year-old sales manager sued under federal age-bias law, saying an insurance company discriminated against older managers. He argued that the company’s hiring policy targeted younger managers to match its recruitment …

Working miracles isn’t part of accommodation process

06/01/2002
Louis Cosme applied for a promotion at the Postal Service even though he knew it would require him to work on some Saturdays, the day that he observed the Sabbath through …

Need incentive to brush up anti-discrimination policy? Here it is

06/01/2002
In April, six female employees of a grocery chain won a record $30.6 million from a California jury in a sexual harassment lawsuit, far larger than any previous verdict in an …

Avoid Liability for ‘Porn Spam’

06/01/2002

Q. Some of our employees have been getting a lot of spam e-mail that advertises porn sites. I’m concerned that an employee will consider this junk as creating a hostile work environment. What can we do to protect ourselves? —M.C., Minnesota

References: Stick to Facts

06/01/2002

Q. An employer asked us for job verification on an employee we fired. It has a written consent form from the worker allowing the query. Can I release any and all information regarding the ex-employee’s history with us? —R.F., Colorado