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Lyft, a ride-hailing service that uses independent contractors as drivers, has agreed to settle a proposed class action lawsuit in California by paying $12.25 million and giving drivers certain protections, but the settlement doesn’t call on the company to reclassify its drivers as employees. The larger ride-hailing service Uber also is facing court action. The […]
It’s mid-January, and I’m sitting in my office writing this post while snow falls outside. (Yes, we get snow in South Carolina and, yes, it terrifies us.) The snow, however, reminds me of the frozen northern Wisconsin landscapes featured in my latest binge-watching favorite, Netflix’s Making a Murderer. If you’ve not seen it yet, Making a Murderer […]
by Deanna L. Forbush Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigations typically end when the EEOC issues a notice of dismissal and right-to-sue letter granting the charging party 90 days to file a lawsuit under one or more of the federal statutes the agency enforces—Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination […]
Actor Matt Damon sure has had an up and down past few weeks. First, Damon made some questionable comments on HBO’s Project Greenlight, a documentary developed by Damon himself (along with some famous friends including buddy Ben Affleck) focusing on first-time filmmakers being given the chance to direct a feature film. When African-American producer Effie […]
by Jeff Sloan The classic Yogi-ism―”It ain’t over ’til it’s over”―has special significance for employment investigations. An investigation can lead not only to discipline against a perpetrator but also to litigation by the victim―or even the perpetrator―against the investigator or the employer. In either of those unsavory situations, the investigator or HR manager may be […]
by Dinita L. James In a bit of housecleaning after its landmark rulings in two same-sex marriage cases on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Thursday not to hear an Arizona case that was one of 10 others that had been awaiting action raising similar issues. The Court’s action is significant to employees of state […]
Employers paid more than $400 million to resolve discrimination cases filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in fiscal 2012, according to data released by the agency Jan. 28. Among private-sector workers, retaliation, race and sex discrimination, respectively, were the most common discrimination charges. Other highlights from the EEOC’s fiscal 2012 statistical summary: 99,412 […]
by Charles S. Plumb Employers requiring employees to submit disputes to mandatory arbitration rather than filing a lawsuit got a boost from a November 26 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in an Oklahoma case. In the case, two employees of Nitro-Lift, a provider of services to oil and gas well operators, left their jobs to work […]
The number of wage and hour lawsuits continued to increase and hit a new high in 2012, according to data released on July 20 by law firm Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago. More than 7,000 Fair Labor Standards Act cases were filed in federal court during the 12 months ending March 31, a slight increase over […]
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has decided to hold a vote on November 30 on portions of a controversial proposal that would speed up union elections. That decision is sparking outrage among foes of the measure. “This announcement confirms what we’ve suspected all along: the Obama NLRB is determined to impose a flawed rule […]