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In one of Justice Samuel Alito’s last opinions for the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia before joining the U.S. Supreme Court, he provided us with a view of his reasoning process with respect to employment discrimination claims. He authored an opinion in a case involving retaliation and hostile work environment claims. The […]
It’s no secret that retirement and pension plans have come under increased scrutiny in recent years, amidst allegations that benefits are often miscalculated and underpaid. Here’s a checklist to help you avoid some of the most common plan mistakes: Check your plan documents to determine the types of covered compensation. Be sure all relevant […]
Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has announced he will recommend a 16.4 percent decrease in the workers’ compensation pure premium rate for policies starting on or after July 1, 2006. This recommendation is the latest in a string of recommended rate reductions since July 2003, when workers’ comp reforms went into effect. The cumulative recommended reductions […]
Last week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that when public employees make statements as part of their official duties, those statements are not protected free speech. The case involved Richard Ceballos, a deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County who claimed his supervisors retaliated against him for sending a memo that said an affidavit […]
What rights do employees have to access their personnel records?
The EEOC provides the following tips to help employers avoid race and color discrimination: Job advertisements. Employers should not express a racial preference in job advertisements. Employers should indicate that they are “equal opportunity employers.” Employment agencies. Employment agencies may not honor employer requests to avoid referring applicants of a particular race. If they do […]
We need to help our managers do a better job with discipline. What suggestions do you have for making the process more effective and less adversarial?
Could you help me with a definition of race and color as it relates to discrimination? We’re trying to sort out our diversity and discrimination policies. We’re not clear on the distinction between race and color discrimination, and we’re not clear if the laws apply just to the stated categories, like black, white, Hispanic, etc., […]
When one employee’s son was born, he took 10 days of vacation. Then he took five days of sick leave, and now he has requested FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) leave. We didn’t see all this leave coming. Do we have to give him 12 additional weeks of time off, or can we make […]