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Employment Law

Signed arbitration agreements are valid in Texas

03/02/2020
A solid arbitration agreement likely will be enforced under Texas contracting law.

Never tolerate harassment on the basis of disability—especially by supervisors

03/02/2020
Disabled applicants are not just entitled to reasonable accommodations for their disabilities. Employers also owe them a work environment free of disability-related harassment. You must warn supervisors against tolerating that kind of harassment—or worse, participating in it.

Warn supervisors: Never harass or retaliate against workers who take FMLA leave

03/02/2020
Train your supervisors on all forms of harassment, including harassment against employees who exercise their FMLA rights. Making life difficult for those who have taken or may take protected FMLA leave can backfire badly.

Gay teacher, suspended for photo of fiancée, wins $100K

03/02/2020
An Arlington, Texas art teacher who was suspended for eight months after she showed students a photo of her then-fiancée has accepted a $100,000 settlement offer from the Mansfield Independent School District.

1 in 5 candidates say an interviewer flirted with them

02/27/2020
While it’s important to make candidates feel comfortable during interviews, it’s also important to know the line.

CROWN: After Oscars, hairstyle laws heat up

02/27/2020
“Hair Love,” winner of the 2020 Academy Award in the Best Animated Short Film category, has shined a spotlight on legislation that affects employers’ grooming policies.

Employee misses work? Check FMLA eligibility

02/27/2020
Once an employer realizes leave might be FMLA-covered, it must send the employee an FMLA eligibility notice. That way, the employee knows how to formally request leave. Failing to send the notice after suspecting the employee is eligible is a separate FMLA violation.

Sex assault by customer costs bank $2.4 mil

02/27/2020
In a case decided under state law, a former employee of PNC Bank has won a $2.4 million judgment after a jury found the bank liable for a customer’s sexual assault on a manager at one of PNC’s New Jersey branches.

New NLRB rule clarifies ‘joint employer’ status

02/27/2020
The National Labor Relations Board has issued a final rule ending years of confusion about what constitutes a joint employer in the context of the National Labor Relations Act.

California appeals court nixes meal break class action

02/25/2020
A California appeals court has concluded that as long as an employer has not applied a written rest break rule that is illegal on its face, employees cannot pursue a class action against their employer based on the written rule. It’s a case of no harm, no foul.