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Employment Law

Supreme Court backs cop demoted over city politics

05/05/2016
The free-speech rights of government employees got a boost April 25 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-2 that it’s illegal to demote or fire a public servant for supporting a particular politician.

Beware knee-jerk firing after FMLA leave

05/04/2016
Employees who return from FMLA leave may not be fully healed. They may, in fact, have developed serious enough medical problems to be disabled under the ADA.

Self-audit checklist for administrative exemption

05/03/2016

So here we are at the beginning of May. Sooner (or maybe later) the Department of Labor will release its long awaited regulations increasing the weekly amount employees must earn to be exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Last week, we offered a checklist you could use to review the status of your executives. This week, we’re offering a checklist you can use to test the status of your administrative employees.

Wolf issues executive orders combating LGBT discrimination

05/02/2016
Gov. Tom Wolf grew tired of waiting for the state legislature to send him a bill adding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people to the protected classes listed in the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.

Court losing patience with baseless lawsuits

05/02/2016
Increasingly, courts have been tossing out cases early on when it’s clear the former employee isn’t sure exactly what she thinks the employer did, but just assumes it was some sort of discrimination.

Discharge for racial slur upheld in Philadelphia’s ongoing Fox 29 lawsuit

05/02/2016
In a notorious case involving a Philadelphia TV station, a reporter who used a racial slur during an editorial meeting has lost his bid to overturn a jury’s decision that his firing was not racially based.

Company activities heavy on religious content? Better pray you don’t wind up in court

05/02/2016
Evangelical fervor can cause legal trouble if an employer requires employees to participate in religious practices or activities as a condition of continued employment.

PO’d telemarketers get relief on bathroom breaks

05/02/2016
A telemarketing company will have to pay $1.75 million to 6,000 employees after a federal judge ruled the company’s policy of making employees clock out to go to the bathroom violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Disability: It’s never a joking matter

05/02/2016
Supervisors must understand that they have a responsibility to stop harassment immediately and take steps to prevent it from recurring.

Halting internal probe pending EEOC action isn’t retaliation

04/28/2016
Employees who simultaneously file an EEOC charge and an internal complaint usually can’t win a retaliation claim just because their internal complaint was put on hold pending the outcome of the EEOC claim.