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Firing

Co-worker romance: Set a policy that balances rights, liability

03/01/2001
Jess McCavitt claims his company withheld a promotion and then fired him for being romantically involved with another officer in the company. He said their relationship had no effect on their …

Addiction isn’t a license for unacceptable behavior.

03/01/2001
The city of Chicago fired Daniel Pernice after he was arrested off duty for disorderly conduct and possessing cocaine. He argued that his addiction was a disability and having drugs was …

Take direct approach to firing

03/01/2001
As Mary Flaherty saw it, her bosses at Metromail were running an organized campaign to make her so miserable that she’d quit. Flaherty, 61, says supervisors subjected her to sexist and …

Refusing to follow orders doesn’t always equal insubordination

02/01/2001
The new fire alarm system at Seattle’s Key Arena automatically cuts off the public address system so that emergency personnel can issue instructions. When the feature disrupted Sonics basketball games, arena …

Gambling on who may sue is a losing bet

12/01/2000
When racial tensions among third-shift employees at a Wal-Mart boiled over, Gail Robinson reported it to her managers several times. African-American co-workers called her “white bitch,” shoved and threatened her …

Series of ‘minor’ incidents
can add up to hostile environment

11/01/2000
Cheryl Conner blew away her male co-workers in skills training for her new metal-processing job. The trouble started when she went from the classroom …

Avoid overly specific ‘grounds for firing’ list

11/01/2000
A United Parcel Service (UPS) worker broke into a profane tirade at two supervisors in a dispute over his check. When he refused to stop, the HR director dismissed him on …

Don’t ‘shoot the messenger’, retaliation claim will usually stick

11/01/2000
Restaurant manager Peter Ball knew that one of his waiters was preparing to sue the restaurant for unpaid overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). When Ball alerted the company …

Adapt work schedules to worship, religious TV shows included

11/01/2000
Employers are required to adjust work schedules to accommodate their employees’ religious observances, even for nontraditional beliefs. In a recent case, an employee …

Title VII’s silence on gay bias doesn’t give OK to discriminate

10/01/2000
It would be an understatement to describe the working relationship between nurse Gary Hamner and the hospital’s medical director as poor. Hamner, a homosexual, says …