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Employment Law

California Uber drivers win right to file class-action suit

09/09/2015
A federal judge has ruled that a group of Uber drivers in California can proceed with their class-action lawsuit against the ride-hailing service. The Sept. 1 decision to certify Uber drivers as a class clears the way for a massive lawsuit that could encompass as many as 160,000 plaintiffs.

Can I allow interns to work for free?

09/09/2015
Q. A few local college students have expressed interest in interning at my dental office. I could really use their help filing papers, putting things on the computer and dealing with the patients. Can I utilize unpaid interns without breaking the law?

How should I accommodate breastfeeding at work?

09/09/2015
Q. An employees is about to return from maternity leave and wants to pump breast milk at work. She is asking for a room specifically designated for pumping, as she feels uncomfortable doing so in the bathroom or the office, and for several breaks during the day. Do I have to provide this accommodation?

Trio of EEOC charges leads San Antonio firm to settle

09/09/2015
San Antonio-based Taprite Fassco has settled gender, disability and retaliation charges leveled by a female quality control employee. Taprite Fassco manufactures carbon dioxide regulators for soda and beer dispensers.

EEOC report details progress of women, minorities at work

09/09/2015
In conjunction with its 50th anniversary, the EEOC has compiled data showing that women and minorities have made significant yet still incomplete inroads in a changing employment landscape.

Gov’t staff can speak out on matters of public importance

09/09/2015
Public employees retain free speech rights under the First Amendment and can’t be punished for speaking out if they do so as citizens and not in their role as a government employee.

Texas court issues injunction preventing customer poaching

09/09/2015
A federal court in Texas has issued an injunction preventing a former salesperson for a plastics company from soliciting customers on behalf of his new employer. The competitor had hired the employee despite a nondisclosure and nonsolicitation agreement he had signed.

Executive order grants paid sick leave to fed contractors’ employees

09/09/2015
President Obama picked Labor Day to announce an executive order requiring federal contractors to provide paid sick leave benefits to their employees, including 300,000 workers who currently have no paid leave.

Trying to ensure pay equality? Be sure to account for even slight differences in duties

09/09/2015

Under the Equal Pay Act, workers of one sex who perform substantially similar jobs are entitled to the same pay as their counterparts of the opposite sex. But it doesn’t take much to make jobs dissimilar enough to thwart direct comparisons. Keep this in mind when preparing job descriptions and explaining pay differences.

It’s sometimes OK to fire disabled employee, but it’s a mistake to cite medical costs

09/09/2015
Before terminating someone who is disabled, make sure that you don’t inadvertently create a reason for them to sue you.