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Coca-Cola has settled a race bias class action lawsuit for an unprecedented $192.5 million. The case was brought by 2,000 African-American workers who claimed they were systematically bypassed for raises and promotions. Coke has also agreed to a complex company-wide restructuring plan with pay equity adjustments phased in over 10 years. Plus, Coke will link […]
In a case that illustrates the danger of being accused of not fully investigating or taking remedial action that is too little or too late, an Orange County jury recently returned a seven-figure verdict for an auto club employee who complained about sexual harassment. We’ll explain how the Automobile Club of Southern California got into […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released comprehensive new guidelines addressing the legality of benefit differentials under several federal anti-discrimination laws. The guidelines apply to health and life insurance, long- and short-term disability benefits, severance, pension and early retirement incentives.
The controversy over the use of mandatory arbitration for employment disputes continues as federal and state courts send contradictory signals to employers. While the California Supreme Court recently OK’d the use of mandatory arbitration, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has said that for some types of claims, such as age or race bias, […]
A lawsuit filed by 94 temporary employees of Sacramento County who sought retroactive benefits was resolved under a $1.4 million settlement. The workers claimed the county illegally classified them as temporary employees, thereby denying them benefits. They said that under the county charter, temporary workers may be employed for only 30 days, whereas many of […]
A federal appeals court is currently considering challenges to San Francisco’s cutting-edge domestic partner ordinance. The law requires that companies who dobusiness with the city provide unmarried employees who have domestic partners the same benefits as married workers. An airline trade association succeeded in invalidating the provisions of the law covering health and welfare benefits. […]
Gov. Davis has signed into law A.B. 2509, which changes a number of existing state laws affecting responsibility for payment of wages and penalties for violations of employment-related laws. Here’s a rundown on the key provisions of the bill, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2001.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2001, you’re required to report independent contractor earnings information to the Employment Development Department. The new law is designed to track down parents who are delinquent in paying child support. Private and public employers need to report payments made to independent contractors if you expect to pay at least $600 to the […]
The Industrial Welfare Commission has eliminated certain exemptions from minimum wage requirements while retaining others. The changes take effect Jan. 1, 2001, as does the new minimum wage of $6.25 per hour. The IWC did away with existing exemptions for state and local government employees, full-time carnival ride operators, actors, personal attendants in private homes, […]
Xerox Corp. has been cited by the Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division for not developing an effective workplace violence prevention program that might have averted a mass shooting by a copy machine repairman that left seven co-workers dead. The agency charged that Xerox failed to train managers to recognize and reduce potential hazards as […]