Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
A California Court of Appeal has upheld a decision to deny disability retirement benefits to a San Diego city utility worker. Before he started working for the city, Charles Alesi injured his knee several times while jet-skiing and in a beach football game. He then reinjured the knee twice at work and once more while […]
An African-American radio operator who claimed she suffered racial and sexual harassment by co-workers and supervisors at Aeronautical Radio Inc. has received a $600,000 award from an Alameda County jury. Charisse Rogers alleged that she was subjected to displays of pornography, inappropriate sexual comments, photos of employees in KKK garb, and frequent racial jokes and […]
When Eugene Quinn applied to be a Los Angeles police officer, he failed the medical exam because of a hearing impairment. But due to a clerical error, he was told to report for further training exams, which he passed. Quinn graduated from the police academy and was assigned to patrol duty before his hearing problem […]
According to a recent California Court of Appeal decision involving Wal-Mart, you can be sued by an independent contractor’s employee if you supply equipment that’s involved in an accident injuring the worker. Wal-Mart had hired Musi-Cal to install a sound system in the retailer’s Chino, Calif., store. The work involved placing speakers and running wires […]
The federal Department of Labor has launched a new Web page to help employers comply with posting requirements for a number of federal laws. By answering a series of questions, you can determine which federal posters you must display and then print them directly from the Internet. The Web page also lists who to contact […]
Tyson Foods has agreed to change its religious accommodation policies to settle Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charges that the Arkansas poultry processor discriminated against a worker who watched Sunday church services on television. Tyson fired Afton Bolen from his job as a fryer operator for refusing to come in on Sundays, despite its policy of […]
A San Francisco judge has dramatically sliced a recent jury award of over $131 million to African-American workers who were discriminated againstby their employer, Interstate Bakeries Corp. Calling the verdict against the maker of Wonder Bread excessive, the judge reduced the original award, which included compensation for lost wages and pain and suffering, together with […]
Our accompanying story looks at the issues raised when a former employee lures away existing workers. Having employees sign an “anti-raiding agreement” is one way to deal with this problem. In general, these contracts are more likely to be upheld by a court if they’re for a limited period of time, such as one year. […]
It may come as a surprise that employers can now be sued if co-workers harass an employee who has made a workplace complaint. A recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision has broadened the liability of employers for retaliation to include not just supervisors’ acts, but also the hostile conduct of other employees. We’ll offer […]
Our earlier article spells out what to look for to determine if an agreement complies with the new Supreme Court standards. But addressing problems with agreements employees have already signed presents additional issues.