Confederate History Month in Virginia: Employment Problems?
The Governor of Virginia has declared the month of April to be Confederate History Month. Could this present any employment problems for Virginia employers? After all, Black History Month is celebrated...
View ArticleEmployees Win 2 in Supreme Court
In two cases filled with what some would call legal mumbo jumbo (but important nonetheless), the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously (!) in favor of employees. In Hardt v. Reliance Standard Life...
View ArticleKagan’s Brief on Title VII’s Statute of Limitations for Disparate Impact
The City of Chicago administered a written examination to 26,000 applicants as part of its hiring process for entry-level firefighters. After scoring the tests, the results were grouped into three...
View ArticleZero Tolerance for Shirley Sherrod
On October 14, 2009, I did a post on the value of zero tolerance policies: 0. The recent firestorm surrounding the forced resignation of Shirley Sherrod by the U.S. Department of Agriculture validates...
View ArticleJust Plain Discrimination
For over 40 years, race discrimination claims have been primarily asserted by minority employees: African-Americans, Hispanics, and members of various other racial or ethnic groups. On the rare...
View ArticleWorkplace Violence Lessons from Connecticut
You are undoubtedly aware of the tragic workplace violence in Manchester, Connecticut. (Click here, here and here for recent recaps.) A few new facts have emerged but shed little light on this deadly...
View ArticleNicknames — Tip of the Week
Can nicknames be a problem at work? Of course. Nicknames that are tantamount to ethnic, racial or sexual slurs and given to an employee by co-workers are a problem. In those cases, it doesn’t matter...
View ArticleCode Words Equal Discrimination
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a class action against Area Temps, alleging that the temporary agency had honored some of its clients’ requests to deny employment on the basis of...
View ArticlePrompt Action by Employer Nixes Racial Harassment Claim
All HR professionals know that a harassment claim must be investigated promptly and then appropriate action taken. In Moody v. East Mississippi State Hospital, decided by the U.S. District Court for...
View ArticleRetaliation Claims Increase
Recent trends reveal that employment retaliation claims are on the rise. Further, courts are taking a hard line on offending employers accused of retaliation in employment. A review of United States...
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