Labor & Employment

Illegal Workers to Enforce Labor Laws?

As the government threatens a crackdown against employers who hire illegal immigrants, companies should also be wary of potential amped-up enforcement of labor law violations by another group—illegal immigrants themselves. If they are fired from their jobs because of federal enforcement of immigration laws, they will have less to lose…

Aug 10, 2007 4:59 PM CDT

Immigrant Crackdown, But More Temps

Updated: An effort to get Congress to pass an immigration bill promoted by the White House failed this year. So the executive branch is trying again. An enhanced program of government enforcement against employers who hire illegal immigrants was announced by the Bush administration today. Employers who ignore immigration laws…

Aug 10, 2007 4:15 PM CDT

Are FedEx Drivers Really Contractors?

Are Federal Express drivers independent contractors? That is the potentially very expensive question to be answered by a federal case in South Bend, Ind., where a judge is to hold a hearing later this month about whether similar claims from drivers in 29 states that they are actually employees should…

Aug 8, 2007 4:12 PM CDT

Fire Illegal Workers, Or Else

Employers will need to start paying attention when they receive a so-called no-match letter informing them that a worker’s Social Security number doesn’t match his name. Under rules expected to be issued this week, employers will have to clear up any clerical error or fire the worker within a fixed…

Aug 8, 2007 12:38 PM CDT

States, Feds Ponder ‘Gender ID’ Bills

Gender identity isn’t a phrase that traditionally comes up in everyday conversation. But it’s a hot topic among lawmakers and lobbyists these days, as both Congress and a growing number of states consider legislation to make discrimination based on gender identity illegal. At this point, it isn’t completely clear what…

Aug 7, 2007 3:56 PM CDT

Blame Game Begins in Bridge Tragedy

Although it’s too early to know exactly what caused Wednesday’s horrific rush-hour collapse of the Interstate 35-W bridge in Minneapolis, fingers are pointing in various directions, and some are thinking about possible litigation. Likely potential targets would include state and federal government entities and private contractors responsible for constructing and…

Aug 3, 2007 7:50 PM CDT

Pregnancy-Bias Class Action OK’d

A federal judge has certified a class action lawsuit on behalf of female sales agents who say Novartis Pharmaceuticals discriminated against them for becoming pregnant. The class could include 4,000 to 5,000 current and former employees, the New York Times reports. David Sanford, who represents the plaintiffs, told the newspaper…

Aug 2, 2007 3:03 PM CDT

Go Google Yourself!

Blogs and Web sites may tell employers more than you want them to know

Aug 1, 2007 12:33 PM CDT

Nike Settles Bias Case

Nike Inc. has agreed to pay $7.6 million and appoint a diversity consultant at its flagship Chicago store to settle a race discrimination lawsuit. A federal judge approved class-action status for the suit last year and expanded the class to include about 400 present and former African-American employees, the Chicago…

Jul 31, 2007 4:17 PM CDT

Legal Battle Likely Over New Fat Fines

Once upon a time, American workers at the same company all had the same major medical coverage. No more–and that’s especially true at some companies that are now requiring employees to pay what amount to fat fines. A growing number of companies are starting to impose extra monthly fees for…

Jul 30, 2007 9:30 PM CDT

Nev. Judge Suspended, Poses ‘Substantial Threat,’ Commission Finds

A controversial Nevada judge was suspended today by the state Commission on Judicial Discipline, which found that Elizabeth Halverson “poses a substantial threat of serious harm” to the public and the administration of justice. In a final order of interim suspension filed today, the commission suspended the judge with pay,…

Jul 26, 2007 12:55 AM CDT

Broker Wins $1.6 M in Merrill Arbitration

An NASD securities arbitration panel has awarded $1.6 million to a broker of Iranian descent, saying that Merrill Lynch & Co. first set him up to be fired and then lied about him in an industry regulatory form, making him unemployable. The panel issued an unusually detailed eight-page decision explaining…

Jul 24, 2007 12:30 AM CDT

NY Lawyer: Lap Dances, No Partnership

Some partners at New York’s Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz had more on their minds than law practice, a former colleague claims in a recent sex discrimination suit. And that led to an unfair work set-up, where secretarial lap dances had more of an impact in the Madison Avenue…

Jul 16, 2007 5:19 PM CDT

Tort Trial Here for Deaths in Colombia

War-torn Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world in which to be a labor union member: Well over 2,000 trade unionists have been killed there since 1991, according to Amnesty International. The killings are apparently at least in part attributable to a four-decades-old war between leftist guerrillas, the…

Jul 13, 2007 6:59 PM CDT

Bill to Override Pay Bias Ruling

The House of Representatives will consider a bill that would override a U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting pay discrimination lawsuits. The Committee on Education and Labor approved the legislation at the end of June and expects to send it to the full House soon, the New York Times reports. The…

Jul 13, 2007 6:56 PM CDT