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Policies / Handbooks

UAW, Caterpillar workers sue for the right to smoke

06/11/2008
The United Auto Workers (UAW) has filed an unfair labor practice charge against Caterpillar Inc., claiming the company has no right to ban smoking without negotiating the terms in collective bargaining. Peoria-based Caterpillar banned smoking in all its U.S. facilities effective June 1…

Mission Foods fires Muslim women over dress code

06/10/2008
Mission Foods of New Brighton dismissed six Somali women for refusing to wear uniforms instead of their traditional loosefitting skirts and scarves. The women refused to comply with a new dress code requiring trousers and shirts, which are considered immodest by Islamic standards …

Dining-Out dogs take precedence over illegal immigrants

06/10/2008
The 2008 session of the Minnesota Legislature closed without hearings on any illegal immigration bills, despite Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s calls earlier this year for a crackdown. “We had time to debate whether dogs should be allowed to eat in cafés … But we didn’t have time to stop identity theft or human trafficking,” House Minority Leader Marty Seifert groused …

DOCC not responsible for employees’ racist remarks

06/10/2008
A court has ruled that the Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections (DOCC) did more than enough to address two employees’ complaints about civil rights violations …

Identity theft and liability: How to reduce the risks facing your business

06/10/2008
How safe is the confidential customer information your company keeps? The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse says that, since February 2005, the personal information of 88 million people has been compromised by data security breaches at companies or government agencies …

E-Mail policies and the NLRA

06/10/2008
Q. I work in the HR department of a unionized company, and our CEO wants me to draw up an employee e-mail use policy. Can I restrict personal e-mail use without violating the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)? …

Business groups battle gun law

06/09/2008
The Florida Retail Federation and the state Chamber of Commerce have filed a joint lawsuit against the Florida Attorney General’s Office, challenging the constitutionality of the state’s recently enacted guns-at-work law …

How not to manage a hostile work environment

06/06/2008
When employees complain about being harassed while at work, employers often wonder how to stop the offending behavior. One thing is certain—simply ordering employees to stop doing what they allegedly are doing isn’t enough …

Make sure picnics and parties are off the clock—And please limit the alcohol

06/06/2008
If you throw an employee party that involves alcohol, make sure no one is on the clock or has to do work on behalf of the organization. Better yet, don’t provide alcohol. One employer didn’t heed that advice and wound up facing a third-party negligence lawsuit …

Make sure handbook spells out maternity leave terms

06/04/2008

Is your employee handbook clear on exactly what constitutes maternity leave and how long it lasts? If you plan to permit just the 12 weeks allowed for pregnancy and childbirth under the FMLA, spell that out. Don’t refer to maternity leave separately and then provide a different week or month count …