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California

NLRB makes hospital cough up back pay

06/24/2014
Keck Hospital of USC, formerly the USC University Hospital, has ended a labor dispute by agreeing to pay $87,839 to four employees affected by its decision to unilaterally eliminate an extra shift bonus and a mandatory on-call schedule.

EEOC spots vision-related bias, secures $100K settlement

06/24/2014
San Jose-based Riviera Consulting will pay $100,000 to a former employee after the firm terminated him because of his poor eyesight.

Nursing home’s attempt to dump union costs $1M

06/24/2014
The Yuba Skilled Nursing Facility in Yuba City has paid $1 million in back pay and benefits after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled against it in an unfair labor practice complaint filed by the Service Employees International Union and United Health Care Workers West.

Lost security clearance ends chance to sue for bias

06/24/2014

Some jobs, both in government and in the private sector, require a security clearance from a government agency. Without the proper security clearance, employees aren’t allowed to view sensitive documents. In those cases, a lost security clearance can mean a lost job—with no ability to challenge the termination on discrimination grounds.

Case tossed for lack of facts? Don’t discard files yet

06/24/2014

More and more former employees who can’t find lawyers to take their cases are filing their own lawsuits. Their pleadings are frequently long on conclusions and short on factual allegations. Don’t let that give you a false sense of security—or tempt you to toss out documents.

Want arbitration agreement to stick? Get expert help, especially with translation

06/24/2014
Here’s a warning for employers that want to use arbitration to solve employment-related problems without expensive litigation: Don’t expect to draft the agreement yourself, modify something you find on the Internet or use an English version when employees speak another language, such as Spanish or Viet­­namese.

Warn bosses: No comments on national origins, no matter which nation

06/24/2014
Remind supervisors that they may not joke or make assumptions about employees based on where they were born, their origins or other national or ethnic characteristics.

Don’t let rogue supervisor destroy your solid training and promotion program

06/24/2014

You may think you have a great training program that helps good employees acquire new skills and then promotes the best ones. But it takes just one rogue super­visor to sink the best training if you don’t have checks and balances to make sure it is being used appropriately.

‘Pimp My Ride’ auto shop will pay to settle lawsuit

06/24/2014
Corona-based West Coast Customs, an auto restyler famous for being on the MTV cable television show “Pimp My Ride,” will pay $174,000 in back wages and penalties following a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation.

Beware retaliation against whistle-blowers

06/24/2014
Employees who sue for alleged retaliation after reporting safety problems in the workplace have a new and powerful ally: the Cali­for­nia Labor Commissioner’s office, also known as the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.