On Friday, a federal judge in Arkansas dismissed a lawsuit that 17 states had filed challenging aspects of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission‘s final rule to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) — specifically the part that deals with “elective abortions.” Continue reading
I disappeared down a few Google rabbit holes in my attempt to find the right coffee pun to introduce yesterday’s Supreme Court decision in which eight out of nine justices agreed to recalibrate the test for when the National Labor Relations Board seeks an injunction in federal court to curtail what it believes is an employer’s (here, Starbucks) unfair treatment of employees.
I know it was a tall order. Continue reading
This week, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Representatives Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12) reintroduced the Restoring Justice for Workers Act, which Ms. Murray describes as legislation to end forced arbitration clauses and protect workers’ ability to pursue work-related claims in court. Continue reading
Last month, I explained how easy it is for an employee to plead a discrimination claim under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Yet, last night, I read an opinion in which the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals had to correct not one but two judges on the pleadings standards. Continue reading
Employers cannot interfere with employee rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act. However, the FMLA doesn’t exonerate employee misconduct, including when an employer discovers it during the leave. Continue reading
This one is a bit of a total stretch. Continue reading
A federal appellate court recently breathed new life into the discrimination claims of a tanker driver alleging that his race motivated his employer to terminate his employment for it deemed reckless driving. His evidence? His employer had treated him differently than other tanker drivers who engaged in conduct that was similar enough to his.
So, let’s explore how other employees may be similarly situated to one another in the context of a discrimination claim. Continue reading
See what you think of this. Continue reading
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for a qualified individual with a disability unless doing so will impose an undue hardship on its business. A plaintiff who claims that their employer failed to accommodate them must initially establish that they could perform the position’s essential functions and that the employer refused to provide an accommodation.
Most courts have found that an employer’s good faith attempt to accommodate is insufficient. However, those courts will not impose liability unless the plaintiff establishes an alternative reasonable accommodation. Continue reading
The Employer Handbook Blog