Tag: Employment Act

Congress Approves Equal Pay Bill

Both chambers of Congress have approved legislation that will extend the deadline for filing a pay-bias complaint under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The House voted 250 to 177 in favor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (S 181) today. The Senate approved the legislation last week. President Barack Obama […]

Hiring: EEOC Issues New Guidance on Tests and Selection Procedures

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued a new fact sheet explaining how federal nondiscrimination laws—including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act—apply to employer tests and other selection procedures used to screen applicants for hire and employees for promotion.

Dispute Resolution: What Are Your Recommendations Concerning Arbitration Agreements?

I’m tasked with making a recommendation concerning arbitration agreements for our employees. My questions are: Do you recommend these agreements? For all employees? How do we go about establishing this for new and current employees? Any particular pitfalls to watch out for? — Elaine, HR Specialist in Encino   The typical employee arbitration agreement requires […]

News Bulletin: Employment-Related Cases Before State High Court

Cases coming before justices during the 2004-2005 term that could affect your workplace include Smith v. City of Jackson, which raises the question of whether the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act recognizes disparate impact age bias claims, as opposed to claims of intentional age bias; and Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Banks, which questions […]

News Notes: EEOC Approves Proposal To Exempt Retiree Health Plans From Age Bias Rules

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has approved a rule that would allow employers to reduce or cut retiree health benefits once a retiree becomes eligible for Medicare or a comparable state-sponsored health benefit—without violating the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, 10 million retired employees age 55 and over […]

Family and Medical Leave: Supreme Court Says State Employers Can Be Sued for FMLA Violations; Little Impact in California

In recent years, several U.S. Supreme Court rulings have barred employees from suing states under a variety of federal employment statutes, including the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. But a new high court ruling gives state workers a victory, finding they can sue their employers for violating the Family […]

Discrimination: EEOC Releases Fact Sheets for Multinational Companies

With the globalization of business activity, more Americans than ever work overseas and more international companies do business here in the United States. Now the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released a series of fact sheets outlining the responsibilities and rights of multinational employers and their employees under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, […]

News Notes: EEOC Suspends Rule On Retiree Medicare Bridge Coverage

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has rescinded a policy under which the agency viewed employer-sponsored health plans that were reduced or eliminated on the basis of age or Medicare eligibility as violating the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act. The agency acted after receiving input from employer and labor groups suggesting that the rule discouraged […]

News Flash: U.S. Supreme Court Update: Microsoft Temps Can Collect Stock Options—Plus Other Late-Breaking Decisions

  The U.S. Supreme Court left intact a landmark federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal ruling that has forced many employers to reassess how they deal with temporary workers. The federal court had ruled that Microsoft improperly treated as many as 10,000 temporary employees as independent contractors and illegally denied them the option of participating […]

Severance Agreements: Older Worker Who Signs Release Can Still Sue You; Supreme Court Rules

Once a terminated employeehas signed a release promising not to sue and has cashed theirseverance check, you probably think you are free from their legalclaims against you. In most cases, you’d be right. But you couldbe in for an expensive surprise if the employee is 40 years orolder and your paperwork isn’t perfect. That’s because […]