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Employment Law

Fed contractors: Review arbitration agreements

08/30/2016
Does your organization have more than $1 million in federal contracts? If so, you may have to change any arbitration agreements you have in place covering certain claims.

How to proactively protect your trade secrets

08/29/2016
Don’t take employee discretion for granted! You need a confidentiality policy to protect trade secrets and other proprietary information from leaving your organization.

Live in a ban-the-box state? Beware ‘name’ hiring bias

08/29/2016
So far, 24 states and more than 100 municipalities have passed laws prohibiting employers from asking applicants about their criminal records early in the hiring process.

Overtime: Steer clear of the comp time trap

08/28/2016
Awarding comp time for extra hours worked is a common strategy that can backfire. The Fair Labor Standards Act lays out strict rules for what basis can be used for awarding comp time and when it’s illegal to give comp time in lieu of cash overtime.

Is it legal to dock nonexempts’ pay if they clock in late after breaks?

08/26/2016
Q. We give employees the choice of using two 10-minute breaks each day or combining them into one 20-minute lunch break. The employees are required to punch out and in for these breaks. Now, we have a policy that docks employees 15 minutes’ pay if they’re four or more minutes late returning from a break. Is this legal?

Harrisburg, Pa., mayor’s bookstore settles overtime complaint

08/26/2016

Harrisburg, Pa., Mayor Eric Papenfuse touted his business experience when running for mayor in 2013, but outdated accounting software may have led him to violate the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Fired Pittsburgh TV anchor sues station for race bias

08/26/2016
A former Pittsburgh news anchor whose social media post led to community outrage and her eventual firing is suing the TV station where she worked.

Watch out for retaliation after employee has complained about bias or harassment

08/26/2016
Sure it’s frustrating when an employee gripes about general workplace problems. Don’t let that frustration spill over into retaliation. If the worker is making a good-faith complaint about alleged discrimination or harassment, he’s protected from retaliation.

Joint employer enforcement snares Philly-area jeweler

08/26/2016

A Melrose Park, Pa., jewelry distributor for several major department stores and the temp agency that provides its workers have agreed to settle allegations that as joint employers they violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

DOL mounts vigorous defense against business groups’ lawsuits

08/26/2016
It’s been a busy summer for the beleaguered lawyers at the U.S. Department of Labor. On Aug. 19, the DOL filed briefs in three separate cases filed against it in federal courts, covering everything from benefits advice to safety records to resisting unionization.