Religion

Employers that operate in THIS state can require workers to get vaccinated

March 29, 2021 | by Eric B. Meyer

Several states are taking steps to forbid employers from requiring that workers receive COVID-19 vaccinations. Separately, I know of at least two pending lawsuits that employees have filed. I already blogged about one of them here. The other is pending in a federal court in California.

But it’s the California of the East a/k/a New Jersey that has taken a much different approach. Continue reading

Will (reverse) vaccination discrimination be the next big thing?

March 25, 2021 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: Marco Verch Professional Photographer (Syringe and vaccination record card on blue background)//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js

The Miami Heat made news twice yesterday. First, the rumor mill has the franchise closely tied to a deal for Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry. Of course, my beloved Philadelphia 76ers are also in the mix to bring the Villanova grad back home to the City of Brotherly Love.

But the bigger Miami Heat news is that vaccinated fans will soon have their own sections at Miami Heat games. Continue reading

Real leadership is admitting when you’re wrong (like firing a Jewish employee who calls out Nazis).

January 22, 2021 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image by Mango Matter from Pixabay

On Wednesday, I wrote (here) about the New York Mets’ decision to terminate its General Manager, just one month into his tenure, because the team recently learned that he sexted a female reporter in 2016 while working for the Chicago Cubs in their front office.

By all accounts, the general manager’s first month with the Mets had been largely successful, producing some good trades to improve the team’s chances of winning the World Series. So, the decision to fire him could not have been easy. But, it seemed like the right thing to do and reflected accountability and strong leadership.

But, not all terminations are alike. Continue reading

Preparing for Exceptions To Your Business’s COVID-19 Vaccine Program

December 16, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image by Shafin Al Asad Protic from Pixabay

I was in The Zone yesterday. Continue reading

The EEOC has a new 114-page religious discrimination playbook. But, 2 of those pages got me like 🤔🤔🤔

November 18, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

Sowlos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Yesterday, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced here that it had released for public comment this new draft guidance on religious discrimination in the workplace. Continue reading

The Holocaust denier I wrote about last year got re-hired — and then fired AGAIN!

November 5, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image by macdeedle from Pixabay

Last year, I wrote here about a Florida high school principal who was fired because, allegedly, he refused to say the Holocaust happened because “not everyone believes” it actually occurred. Continue reading

After tweeting support for Nick Cannon, a remorseful NBA player’s words and actions earn him a well-deserved second chance

July 24, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

Phil Whitehouse //embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js

Anti-discrimination law focuses on the impact that bad acts have on victims, not on whether the actor intended the consequences of his actions. That’s why many employment lawyers caution employer-clients against second chances for employees that do things that others perceive as discriminatory.

Just ask Nick Cannon. Continue reading

Three important employment law lessons from ViacomCBS firing Nick Cannon for anti-Semitic remarks

July 17, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

Nick Step / CC BY

Earlier this week, ViacomCBS announced that it had severed ties with Nick Cannon over anti-Semitic remarks he made recently on this episode of his YouTube podcast “Cannon’s Class.” Continue reading

The “harassing, stalking, disturbing, and menacing” plaintiff lost her discrimination case. Go figure.

January 21, 2020 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

It’s bad enough when a federal judge refers to a plaintiff-employee’s behavior towards her manager as “harassing, stalking, disturbing, and menacing.” And, I apologize that I didn’t have enough room in the title of this blog post to mention the plaintiff’s profanity and fighting at work, or her arrests for drunk driving and drug possession.

So, you’d think that the plaintiff would cut and run after the district court dismissed her claims for pregnancy, sex, race, and religious discrimination claims. But, the plaintiff who referred to herself at work as “crazy” and “psycho” decided to appeal to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

And how do you think that went for the plaintiff? Continue reading

Big changes may be coming to the way your business makes religious accommodations for employees

December 16, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

On Friday, the National Labor Relations Board announced that it will revamp union-election rules to “better ensure the opportunity for litigation and resolution of unit scope and voter eligibility issues.” In other words, it’s a very employer-friendly move. You can read all about it here, here, here, here, and here.

But, a smart guy like me knows that union-themed blog posts generally go over like wet farts here. So, I’m going to pivot into discussing a Supreme Court filing last week from the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that slipped under the radar. It’s one that could change the way businesses must make religious accommodations for employees in the workplace. Continue reading