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Terminations

Say no to accommodations if ‘disability’ barely scratches the surface of credibility

11/25/2008

Employees have the strangest ideas about what constitutes a disability and whether they are entitled to a reasonable accommodation. For example, many people have minor phobias—let’s say a fear of spiders. That doesn’t mean employers have to provide a spider-free workplace.

It’s essential to follow AG’s rules for disciplining police officers

11/25/2008

If you work in HR for a New Jersey law enforcement agency, take heed: Agencies that adopt the New Jersey attorney general’s (AG) guidelines on disciplinary actions must follow those guidelines if they expect their disciplinary decisions to stick.

Lawsuit: Lehman bankruptcy stiffed riffed Jersey workers

11/25/2008

Miron Berenshteyn, a former computer programmer for Lehman Brothers in Jersey City, has filed a $5 million lawsuit alleging the company violated the federal and New Jersey WARN Acts when it laid off more than 100 workers in September.

Sparks fly in Camden over layoff procedure

11/25/2008

Camden Chief Operating Officer (COO) Theodore Davis announced plans to cut 31 government jobs in October. Rather than rely on union agreements to decide where to cut, Davis used his own system, which he said was more equitable than established civil service procedures. Unions representing municipal employees say that’s illegal …

Economic woes force changes in staffing, salaries, benefits

11/21/2008

As the impact of the global economic crisis takes hold, one-fifth of U.S. employers have instituted layoffs and another 26% expect to shed jobs in the next 12 months, according to a survey by global consulting firm Watson Wyatt.

Exception covers some, not all, church staff

11/20/2008

Churches, church schools and other religious institutions don’t always have to follow federal employment laws. That’s because religious entities are entitled to operate free of interference with their religious practices—if the employees in question are part of that religious practice.

NLRB: Grand Rapids Starbucks worker fired for union organizing

11/20/2008

The National Labor Relations Board has filed a complaint against Starbucks, claiming it fired a Grand Rapids, Mich., barista because of his union sympathies.

What are the risks of firing a problem employee?

11/20/2008
Q. We have an employee who has a history of clashing with others at work. Her supervisors have addressed this with her many times. Recently, she sent an e-mail that was unprofessional and insulting to co-workers. If we fire her, could she successfully sue us for sex discrimination or harassment?

That’s the way the cookie crumbles? Archway faces WARN suit

11/20/2008

A group of employees has filed a lawsuit against Battle Creek-based Archway Cookies, alleging the company violated the federal WARN Act when it terminated hundreds of workers in California, Michigan and Ohio in October.

AFSCME files charges against Benton Harbor

11/20/2008

AFSCME Local 1433, the union representing employees of the city of Benton Harbor, has filed five unfair labor-practice charges with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission.