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Employment Law

Class-action alert: The bigger the workforce, the more important your job descriptions

09/07/2016
Class-action attorneys love the Fair Labor Standards Act because it makes it easy for them to take small individual claims for unpaid overtime and turn them into mass litigation cases. That way, a single lawyer or law firm can represent thousands of similarly situated workers.

Disabled employee’s accommodations a hassle?

09/07/2016
Don’t let annoyance over disability accommodations turn into retaliatory harassment.

Ex-employee files race bias complaint against Baylor, Texas, med

09/06/2016
A former employee of Baylor Scott & White Health, which owns hospitals throughout North and Central Texas, is suing the company, alleging that her September 2014 firing was discriminatory.

Fired ‘team’ member gets $20,000 PDA settlement

09/06/2016
A home health care company called Your Health Team, based in Kaufman, Texas, didn’t show much in the way of teamwork when it fired a home health aide after learning she was pregnant.

Statements to licensing board aren’t retaliation

09/06/2016
Public employees who speak out about matters of public importance are protected from retaliation. But retaliation doesn’t include an employer’s complaint about the employee to a licensing board.

Legitimate discipline isn’t retaliation

09/06/2016
Some managers fear disciplining a worker who has complained about discrimination or other allegedly illegal conduct. Quite reasonably, they worry that punishing an employee after he or she complains may precipitate a retaliation claim.

Relax! Your arbitration agreement is likely valid

09/04/2016
As long as you get expert legal help creating a valid arbitration agreement, Texas courts will probably enforce it.

Columbia grad students win right to unionize

09/02/2016
The National Labor Relations Board in late August ruled that Columbia University graduate students who serve as teaching assistants may form a union.

Overtime mistakes your managers must avoid

08/30/2016
Starting Dec. 1, new DOL rules take effect that nearly double the salary threshold at which most salaried workers become exempt from having to be paid overtime.

Accommodating religion: What managers need to know

08/30/2016
An applicant tells you she can’t work nights due to her religion. Or an employee wears a headscarf to the office. How would you respond?