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Employment Law

Pennsylvania bosses personally liable for bias

03/03/2015
Here’s an important addition to your training curriculum: Make sure supervisors understand that under Pennsylvania law—unlike federal law—­they may be personally liable for discriminating against employees.

Firing for attendance? FMLA doesn’t count

03/03/2015
Here’s something to remember when you are ready to dismiss an employee for poor attendance: You can’t use any FMLA leave as a negative factor, and you can’t include any FMLA leave when tallying absences.

Will FLSA soon require predictable schedules?

03/03/2015
In a recent interview, U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division Administrator David Weil hinted that the department may be “looking very actively at” guaranteeing employees predictable schedules under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Few details needed to begin hostile environment suit

03/03/2015
Employees who claim they were victims of a sexually hostile work environment don’t have to provide an exhaustive list of alleged hostile acts. Details can be provided later.

Use updated FMLA forms–at least for the rest of March

03/02/2015
With almost no advance notice, the federal government has revised recently expired FMLA forms to reflect a new effective date: March 31, 2015. The core suite of FMLA forms—doctors’ certifications of serious health conditions, notices of rights and responsibilities and designation notices—was set to expire Feb. 28.

Progress or gridlock? Bill would expand NLRB

03/02/2015
Sen. Lamar Alexander has introduced a bill that would expand the National Labor Relations Board from five members to six. Currently, the president appoints five board members with the “advice and consent of the Senate.” By law, two board members must be from the political party other than the president’s.

Single stupid comment can tank legitimate decision

03/02/2015
Bosses who don’t have appropriate verbal filters can accidentally turn a legitimate management decision into evidence of discrimination.

Appeal of firing doesn’t give more time to sue

03/02/2015
Employees who claim they were fired for discriminatory reasons have just 300 days to file an EEOC complaint. The clock starts ticking the day they’re terminated, not when they have exhausted internal appeals processes.

The Uber model: Worker classification in the sharing economy

02/27/2015
The car service company Uber exemplifies America’s new sharing economy, testing the often blurry boundary between employee and independent contractor. It’s a business model that invites confusion and controversy.

FMLA rights extended to all same-sex spouses

02/26/2015
The rule change grants FMLA leave rights to same-sex spouses even in states that do not sanction or recognize gay marriage.