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Employment Law

EEOC sues medical device firm for age, sex discrimination

04/15/2014
The EEOC alleges Chanhassen, MN-based PMT Corp. discriminated against older and female applicants for company sales positions. In a law­­suit filed in federal court, the EEOC claims the company’s president and CEO specifically instructed the HR department not to hire women and people who graduated from college more than 10 years ago for sales positions.

Owners of Rochester, MN hotel settle age bias suits

04/15/2014
Interstate Hotels and Resorts, the Virginia-based firm that managed Rochester’s Kahler Grand Hotel, has settled age discrimination charges that four former employees brought against the company. Interstate began managing the hotel, which serves the Mayo Clinic, in January 2013.

Employee must be open to compromise before quitting

04/15/2014
Employees can sometimes quit and sue for constructive discharge if their employer made work life intolerable. That doesn’t mean an employee can quit anytime she faces a difficult situation. She has to let her employer try to resolve the problem first.

Focus on behavior, not possible disability when disciplining employees

04/15/2014
Here’s a tip that may save you from unnecessary litigation: When it comes to disciplining a disruptive worker, focus on the behavior. Don’t speculate on the reason the employee may be disruptive.

Male candidate needs to ‘support his family’? That’s no reason to pay him more

04/15/2014
Here’s a warning to pass on to any manager or supervisor involved in employee interviewing, hiring or supervision: Never make a sexist comment about pay or benefits. It may come back to haunt the organization should an employee later sue for sex discrimination or pay equity.

Informal hiring input does not an exec make

04/15/2014

Managers and supervisors are often classified as exempt from overtime under the FLSA’s executive exemption. It requires that the employee have the authority to hire and fire or make hiring and firing recommendations that carry particular weight. Some employers believe they can meet this requirement by asking for recommendations or insight into potential hires. That’s not enough.

Wage-and-hour 101

04/14/2014
Properly paying employees is one of the most basic employer responsibilities, yet wage-and-hour cases continue to flood the legal system. It’s critical to understand the laws that govern when workers must be paid.

Know the law: Background checks continue to trip up employers

04/14/2014
If you don’t follow the rules, background checks can cause more trouble than they prevent. Your background process can also become the basis for a class-action lawsuit.

Court blocks Teamsters’ bid to thwart company sale

04/14/2014
A court has ruled that the Teamsters union can’t scuttle the sale of Will Poultry, a Buffalo food distributor.

Board members may count as employees for Title VII suit

04/14/2014
Some small nonprofit organizations may think they don’t have to follow Title VII anti-discrimination rules because they only have one or two employees. They could be wrong if the board that manages the organization pays officers to attend meetings and generally holds them accountable for assignments and meetings.