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Discrimination / Harassment

Muslim scarf ban costs $50K for Philadelphia security firm

01/05/2012
Philadelphia-based Imperial Security will pay $50,000 to settle EEOC charges it discriminated against a woman and fired her because of her religious attire.

Pittsburgh Panera manager: I was fired for refusing racism

01/05/2012
A former manager at a Pittsburgh-area Panera Bread shop is suing the chain, claiming he was fired in retaliation for refusing to implement his boss’s racist directive.

Vague statements won’t support harassment lawsuit

01/05/2012
Here’s some comfort if you discover a supervisor has made unwise comments to employees: Ambiguous statements probably aren’t enough to form the basis of a hostile work environment claim.

Amtrak HR exec decides she won’t be railroaded

01/05/2012
Amtrak will give an HR executive working at Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station a salary boost of almost $16,000 to bring her into parity with what the railroad pays men doing the same job. She will also receive a lump-sum payment of $171,000.

Unhappy employee? Carefully track complaints

01/05/2012

You know this employee—the one who’s never happy and always finds something to complain about. It may be tempting to ignore repeated complaints, but that’s probably a mistake. Carefully document all her gripes. Those records could come in handy later if she files a lawsuit.

Ready to fire worker with poor attitude? Document examples before you deliver pink slip

01/02/2012

If a supervisor believes an employee has such a negative attitude that it warrants firing, do your HR duty! Immediately ask for documentation of the problem. It can’t wait until after the termination occurs. After-the-fact, subjective assessments may not survive a court challenge.

Different pay for men and women? Prepare to explain ‘other than sex’ factors

01/02/2012
The federal Equal Pay Act (EPA) is supposed to ensure that men and women doing the same job aren’t paid differently based on their sex. But employees can’t win EPA lawsuits simply by comparing their rates of pay and job titles. Lots of factors unrelated to gender may in­­fluence pay.

The new year means new laws covering veterans hiring, whistle-blowing

12/30/2011
Employers will ring in some new laws in 2012 that will bring new opportunities and challenges, including the VOW to Hire Heroes Act and the Dodd-Frank amendments to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Sticker shock: First ‘accident’ in two years at Georgia plastics plant is a lawsuit

12/29/2011
An employee has sued for religious discimination after he was fired from a plastics plant for refusing to wear a sticker saying 666, noting the number of days the plant has gone accident-free. The employee noted his “sincere religious belief that to wear the number 666 would be to accept the mark of the beast and be condemned to hell.”

Employee just got religion: Must we accommodate?

12/27/2011
Q. Our company requires employees to work on weekends because those are our busiest days. When we hire, we ask applicants about their weekend availability. Now a few employees claim their religious beliefs have changed and they need time off on Saturdays or Sundays to attend church. Can we turn down the requests based on their original applications?