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Two California jurists were recently charged with sexual harassment by court employees. The first case involved Placer County Superior Court Judge W. Jackson Willoughby, who allegedly harassed his court clerk and bailiff by groping them and making sexist remarks. The county has shelled out almost $110,000 to settle the suits. And the state is now […]
Last month we reported on how you can use a last-chance agreement to give employees with substance abuse problems one more opportunity to improve before being terminated. Now a California Court of Appeal has upheld the termination of a worker who violated a similar agreement. Thomas Robison, a refuse collector for the city of Manteca, […]
Jennifer Passantino spent 18 years rising through the ranks at a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, eventually becoming one of its most successful female managers. But all that changed after she complained about sex discrimination. Suddenly she was excluded from important meetings, had her job responsibilities transferred to other employees and was repeatedly passed over for […]
If you’re looking for a free or low-cost way to boost your employee benefit package, a transportation spending account may be the way to go. These programs involve some administrative burdens, but they can result in income tax savings for employees and FICA tax savings for both you and your workers. Until now, many employers […]
When a male supervisor harasses a female employee, it’s obvious that you must take the matter seriously or face the likelihood of expensive damages if you’re sued. But many harassment claims don’t follow this typical pattern.In one recent lawsuit, an employee charged he was harassed because of his disability. And in another, a male worker […]
When Wal-Mart settled a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by two deaf job applicants, it didn’t just pay them lost wages and other damages. The retailer also promised to take specific steps to make it easier for hearing-impaired and other disabled workers to apply for and keep jobs. These measures provide a glimpse of what the […]
The California Industrial Welfare Commission has finalized the draft Interim Wage Order we reported on in February. The order takes effect March 1, 2000, and contains important new steps for complying with the overtime requirements of A.B. 60, including changes in how you pay certain exempt employees and a new posting rule.
In a record-setting settlement, the federal government has agreed to pay $508 million to more than 1,000 women who claimed the now defunct U.S.Information Agency denied them jobs based upon their sex. The women had applied forpositions as writers, editors, technicians and foreign-language broadcasters between 1974and 1984. The government was also ordered to pay the […]
Vincent Fusco, an American Airlines ticket agent from WalnutCreek, has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the airline for allegedly testing him for HIV in a roundabout way and then withdrawing a promotion offer for a flight attendant position after finding out about his HIV status. Following several prepromotion medical tests, the airline allegedly asked Fusco’s […]
Cigna Corp. has agreed to shell out $8.9 million to settle a government fraud lawsuit triggered by an employee’s allegation of over-billing. The employee had disclosed that Connecticut General Life Insurance, a subsidiary of Cigna, was overcharging the Health Care Financing Administration for photocopy charges. The employee claimed that when the company made two-sided copies, […]