Showing 8 posts from August 2015.

Joint Employer Standard Expanded: NLRB Overturns 30 Years of Precedent

In a dramatic departure from over 30 years of precedent, the National Labor Relations Board has modified the standard by which it determines whether two entities are "joint employers" under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The 3-2 ruling in Browning-Ferris Industries of California, published on August 27, 2015, has serious implications for companies that utilize staffing agencies and temporary employees, and for the staffing agencies themselves. The ruling greatly increases the ability of workers to bargain with both their employer and the company that hires their employer and to hold both companies responsible for various wrongs.  More ›

Court Revives DOL's Expanded Overtime and Minimum wage Rules for Home Health Care Workers

On August 21, 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in Home Care Association of America v. Weil reversed a lower court decision and upheld the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) 2013 regulatory change regarding domestic service workers who provide companionship services or live-in care.  More ›

Say what? An Employee can sue for Discriminatory Termination After Resigning?

The employee who causes you to lose sleep at night — you know, the poor performer with a worse attitude — saunters into your office Friday afternoon and QUITS. As she walks out the door with her belongings, you exhale a deep sigh of relief and smile. You won’t lose another wink of sleep over this again…

Fast forward two months. It’s Monday morning. You stop by the mail room to pick up your mail, and find a letter from the EEOC. Curious, you open it to find a charge of discrimination filed by your old friend. You scratch your head, thinking: “This employee quit. How could she claim we discriminated against her by terminating her. This claim must be frivolous.” Yeah? Think again. More ›

(A Little) More to Digest on Criminal Background Checks

Last month, we discussed the importance of maintaining employment files, including records on the use of criminal background information in the employment process. We suggested steps to ensure that your use of such information is based on a business necessity that will pass agency muster. We'd like to supplement those suggestions based on a recent presentation by EEOC Commissioner Constance Barker.  More ›

Hey! Vote Employment Law Observer onto the ABA Blawg 100 List! (Please?)

Like us? Do us a solid by telling the American Bar Association! More ›

Using Criminal Convictions in the hire Process: A Hobson's Choice for Employers?

Is the government really telling employers that they are not allowed to disqualify an applicant because of past criminal activity? In a word, yes. That is increasingly becoming the case on the state level and has been the focus of federal enforcement efforts over the past several years, ever since the EEOC updated its guidance on this topic in 2012. This flurry of activity has made what was historically a simple hiring practice into a legal minefield. More ›

Four big Takeaways from Illinois' Proposed Pregnancy Accommodation Rules

Illinois employers, take note — in mid-July, the State's Department of Human Rights published its proposed rules implementing the State's new pregnancy discrimination law.  As readers of this blog will know, the new law took effect at the beginning of 2015. The law imposes additional requirements and clarifies employers' obligation when it comes to accommodating pregnant employees; in effect, it requires that any pregnant employee or job applicant (including those with “conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth”) must be accommodated in the same way that disabled employees are accommodated under the Americans with Disabilities Act.  More ›

Trend Alert: NLRB Holds Employee Acting Alone Engages in Concerted Activity

The NLRB, and courts interpreting the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA"), consistently have held that to engage in concerted activity protected by Section 7, two or more employees must take action for their mutual aid or protection regarding terms and conditions of employment. Key takeaways: "two or more" and "mutual." But, as the title of this article suggests, even a lone wolf may fall within this definition in certain circumstances.       More ›