Arbitration is a creature of agreement, and no right or obligation to arbitrate exists without a mutual agreement. Is an electronic acknowledgement on an employer’s web platform enough to prove the agreement? Is there an...
Employment Law Letter
There has long been a conflict between California and the federal government over the topic of arbitration. Decades ago, arbitration was viewed as a win-win process providing the parties with a quicker and less expensive...
Sometimes it’s hard to know whether an employee has a “serious health condition” with remedies under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) or the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or a protected “disability”...
If you don’t give an employee required rest breaks or meal breaks, you must provide additional pay for each day with a missed break. But is that payment also a wage that needs to be reported on a pay stub and paid at...
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under the Biden administration appears poised to reverse a Trump Board decision. The important underlying issue is whether blanket policies that require confidentiality in...
Q How far back are we allowed to verify information (both criminal and previous employer references) when conducting a background check? A Idaho and federal law permit you to obtain, with a signed release, a criminal...
Q How should we handle politics in the workplace? We've had one employee posting campaign stickers and another taking them down. A It depends on what state you’re in. In Connecticut, a state law makes it unlawful for...
In a unique case involving ownership and access to social media accounts, the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals (which handles federal appeals from Connecticut) recently enforced a noncompete agreement against one of a...
Q How are “wages” determined for covered employees for Colorado’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act (FAMLI) program premium assessment? A Wages reportable to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s...
The New Jersey Appellate Division recently upheld a trial court’s dismissal of a former bartender’s hostile work environment and gender discrimination claims partly on the grounds she partook in the “pejorative language...
Q We are a public employer and have several exempt union employees who came in to shovel snow on a holiday they were supposed to have off. Our union members normally get overtime pay if they work on a holiday, but these...
Q How far back are we allowed to verify information (both criminal and previous employer references) when conducting a background check? A Massachusetts has no limit in regard to checking references from previous...
Despite the current labor shortage, some employers may be suffering the lingering effects of increased unemployment claims from prior years. Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) unemployment chargebacks can affect an...
A number of subscribers are public employers whose employees as well as themselves can be sued for all sorts of reasons not applicable to private-sector companies. Here’s one potential lawsuit claim: If a police officer...
Arbitration agreements have long been a standard practice across all industries. With the signing of H.R. 4445 into law by President Joe Biden, however, arbitration agreements are no longer enforceable against sexual...