Employment

As we previously reported, the EEOC held a public meeting on June 8, 2011 to examine the use of medical leaves of absence as “reasonable accommodation” for employees’ disabilities.  A total of six panelists participated in the hearing: two from the EEOC, two representing the interests of disabled workers, and two representing the interests of the business community.

On Wednesday June 8, the EEOC will hold a public meeting to examine the use of medical leaves of absence as “reasonable accommodation” for employees’ disabilities.

On May 9, 2011, the US Department of Labor launched a smartphone "app" to help employees track hours worked and break times, and to calculate regular wages and overtime. Data collected may be viewed in daily, weekly, and monthly formats, and can be sent with wage data as an attachment to an email.

In a decision that likely surprised no one but the plaintiffs, on May 3, 2011, the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that Boeing was within its right to fire two employees who complained to the media about practices they viewed as potential violations of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (“SOX”).

67 seconds of viewing porn . . . That’s all it took to get a high school biology teacher and former teacher’s union president, Robert Zellner, fired- 67 seconds of viewing porn. Why is this news?  Because Mr. Zellner sued, claiming that he was actually terminated because of his union activities and not because he viewed porn from his school-owned computer.

Last year, New York nearly became the first state to pass a law protecting employees against workplace bullying. The New York State Senate passed the bill in May 2010 by a wide margin, but the following month, the New York Assembly Labor Committee voted to “hold” it in committee, effectively killing its chances at passage in 2010.

On September 30, 2010, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the “EEOC”) filed a lawsuit against a non-profit social services agency, claiming that the agency had discriminated against an employee on the basis of her disability—severe obesity.

As recently reported in Employment Law 360 (subscription required), the EEOC sued US Steel alleging that certain of its alcohol testing practices violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In an Administrator’s Interpretation issued on June 22, 2010, The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has "clarified" the definition of “son or daughter” under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) as it applies to an employee standing in loco parentis to a child. The result is to significantly expand the universe of caregivers entitled to FMLA leave.

See this interesting write-up of the Supreme Court's decision in the text message privacy case, City of Ontario v Quon.

See this recent Mintz Levin advisory answering some "FAQs" on health care reform's impact on employee benefits.

Health care reform impacts employers in many significant ways. While the effects of reform on insurance coverage and other requirements have been widely publicized, much less well-understood are various amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently reversed an order of summary judgment for JetBlue Airways Corp. on a former employee’s sexual harassment claim in Gorzynski v. JetBlue Airways Corp.

According to an article posted on the DC Crawler website, the “Obama administration is considering a proposal that would heavily favor government contractors that implement policies designed by organized labor.”

On Monday, December 14, 2009, the United States Supreme Court announced that it will hear arguments in USA Mobility Wireless Inc. v. Quon, a case that may have a significant impact on employers’ rights to monitor employees’ electronic communications. The important facts of Quon may be summarized as follows:

Most employers are familiar with federal and state laws requiring them to reasonably accommodate an applicant or employee with a disability, unless the accommodation would result in an undue hardship.

Workplace Prof blog posted an interesting commentary on a recent California case, Nazir v. United Airlines, Inc., No. A121651 (Cal. App. Ct. October 8, 2009), in which the appellate court overturned the trial court’s decision granting summary judgment to the employer in a routine employment discrimination case.

A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit illustrates how the Supreme Court’s opinion in Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc. serves to prevent previously-viable claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (the “ADEA”) from reaching trial.

This alert talks about a recent decision by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, which awarded Astra Zeneca about $7 million in salary and bonuses paid to its former CEO. The CEO had engaged in a long standing pattern of harassing female employees.

Both before and after the November 2008 Presidential and Congressional elections, legal pundits issued dire warnings that an Obama Presidency and a filibuster-proof Democratic Congress would result in a flurry of new, employee-friendly legislation.