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Articles Posted in Discrimination and Unlawful Harassment

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“No more babies” and “Pregnant, bye” are bad talking points for your managers

Even Kramerica Industries knows better than that. This company did WHAT?!? One California employer, not so much apparently. That is, in September 2016, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed this complaint in CA federal court against a local orchid grower. And that complaint contains some allegations that’ll make your head spin.…

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Court politely tells union where to stick its request to reinstate a member accused of sexual harassment.

***pops open can of Haterade*** A local Philadelphia-area school district employed a teacher/union advocate for about 10 years until it ended his employment on the grounds that he was creating a hostile work environment for his fellow teachers and making lewd and suggestive statements to students. Given that this is…

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A noogie could be retaliation. (I’ll take “What We Were Never Taught In Law School” for $400.)

noogie || noun noog·ie \ ˈnu̇-gē \ According to Merriam Webster, a “noogie” is the act of rubbing one’s knuckles on a person’s head so as to produce a mildly painful sensation. But, could a noogie be considered an act of retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964? (Hey,…

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Why intent doesn’t matter when a white guy gifts watermelon to his black co-workers. Or does it?

The Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas, beat me to it. On Tuesday, Suzanne wrote here about a volunteer firefighter, who is white. And that white firefighter brought a watermelon to the fire station as a gift for his co-workers. According to this Fox 2 report, 90 percent of his co-workers are…

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Local union throws flag on Dallas Cowboys’ owner’s threat to bench players who disrespect the U.S. flag

Humility is not my middle name. Actually, it’s “Hercules.” (It’s not Hercules). But, it’s not “Humility” either and I rarely turn down the opportunity to say, “I told you so.” So, remember when I told you a few weeks ago how NFL owners would have a tough time legally firing…

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I’m telling you. Bad things happen when the Board Chair plays matchmaker for her son, the CEO.

Over the weekend, I was reading this recent opinion from a federal judge in Maryland and, with a big smile on my face, I started polishing up my blogging crown and scepter. Allen v. TV One, LLC is a case about a woman who alleges that she was constantly pestered by the Board…

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Jeff Sessions and the DOJ pull the rug out from under transgender workers.

Back in July of this year, the U.S. Department of Justice officially revealed its position that nothing would prevent an employer from discriminating against a gay worker before of his sexual orientation. On that very same day, President Donald Trump tweeted that the military should ban transgender people from serving. Fast…

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Watching porn at work doesn’t necessarily create a hostile work environment for others.

Is this prurient blog title a convenient excuse to play a J. Geils Band tune on the blog? Maybe. But, still I’ll toss in a side of HR-compliance. Let’s take a trip to our nation’s capital, Washington, DC. Sharon Stewart works for the Federal Communications Commission. She sued the FCC…