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By Trevor Lawson and Donovan Plomp McCarthy Tetrault Although large employment-related class-action lawsuits have become commonplace in the United States, until recently they were virtually unknown in Canada. The relative peace enjoyed by Canadian employers on this front was shattered with a $651 million class-action lawsuit filed in June 2007 against the Canadian Imperial Bank […]
Well, David Letterman reached an agreement with the writers, and they are coming back to work. For him. No such luck for those of us who are anxiously awaiting the return of our favorite show. Nevertheless, the labor dispute is continuing to teach us valuable lessons. Like why companies should avoid this mess in the […]
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled that employers can prohibit employees from using company e-mail to send union-related messages while allowing some personal use of e-mail. In a 3-2 decision dated December 16 but released December 21, the NLRB majority ruled that the e-mail policy of Eugene, Oregon, newspaper The Register-Guard wasn’t a […]
It is not that I don’t support the writers of The Office. I do. But I also think their situation is different than most other industries in the private sector. When I look at the issue of unionization from a more global perspective, I firmly believe that most employees and companies are better off without […]
HR consultant and author of 13 bestselling business books Carol A. Hacker reviews the book The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary by Joseph A. Michelli. Review highlights book’s examination of how Starbucks gets their employees to deliver excellent customer service. The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary is […]
by Daniel Pugen McCarthy Tetrault Following its recent re-election in October, the Ontario provincial government led by Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty established a new public holiday called “Family Day.” The holiday falls on the third Monday in February each year. Ontario joins the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in creating a public holiday in February. […]
McCarthy Tetrault Q. When does an employer have an employment contract with its employees? A. Every employer in Canada has an employment contract, whether written or unwritten, with each of its nonunion employees. Sometimes, only some of the terms are in writing. When necessary, courts will imply reasonable terms in the absence of any express […]
Litigation Value: $150.00 (for the birthday cakes) As they always say, you can’t please all of the people all of the time. Nowhere is this more true than at office parties, birthday or otherwise. Lucky for Dunder Mifflin, the biggest party-related issue in last night’s episode was birthday cake. But sometimes employers just aren’t that […]
Employment law attorney Michael P. Maslanka reviews the book The Truth About Managing People by Stephen E. Robbins. Review highlights book’s truths about managing employees in the workplace. Talk about debunking workplace myths. In a series of 53 short chapters (the longest clocks in at three pages), Robbins challenges quite a few in Truth About […]
McCarthy Tetrault A “blog,” short for web log, is akin to an online diary or an electronic discussion board that often includes a mix of commentary and opinions from visitors to the website. More and more employers are dealing with employees who may be blogging about their work. Here are some questions you should consider. […]