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Employment Law

You Don’t Have to Pay Employees for ‘Uncontrolled’ On-Call Time

09/01/2007

Under California law, you don’t have to pay employees for on-call time unless you “control” how they spend that time. If you structure their responsibilities properly, you don’t have to pay them for every hour they’re on call. You can even pay them a flat fee for their on-call shifts. The key is the amount of freedom you give the employees to choose how they spend their time while waiting for your call. The more time they can spend on personal activities, the better …

Telling manager about special ed may trigger FEHA accommodations process

09/01/2007

California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for an employee’s known mental disabilities. Under FEHA, something as simple as a new employee telling her manager that she has a learning disability and had taken special education classes triggers the employer’s responsibility to consider accommodations …

Managers—Even HR Managers!—May Be Personally Liable for Disability Harassment

09/01/2007

As if you don’t have enough to worry about. Now a federal court interpreting California law has concluded that supervisors and managers may be personally liable if they don’t provide a harassment-free work environment or if they harass a disabled employee …

Discrimination, harassment, retaliation cost LAFD $6.2 million

09/01/2007

A California Superior Court jury recently awarded a city firefighter $6.2 million in a lawsuit claiming race discrimination, sex discrimination, harassment and retaliation under the Fair Employment and Housing Act …

Vista may not release data on those who employ day laborers

09/01/2007

Recently, a Superior Court for San Diego County issued a temporary restraining order to stop the city of Vista from releasing the personal information of employers registered to employ contingent workers. The decision came after Vista passed an ordinance requiring registration of anyone who hired day laborers from “uncontrolled locations” …

Making it mandatory boosts ER workplace violence training

09/01/2007

A study in the July issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that workplace violence training for hospital employees occurs more frequently in states where the law requires such courses …

Former Fresno State volleyball coach awarded $5.85 million

09/01/2007

California Superior Court jury in Fresno has awarded $5.85 million to a former Fresno State volleyball coach who filed a discrimination suit after she was fired in 2004. The award covered back wages, future lost pay and emotional distress …

Fresno officer settles age, disability claim for $825,000

09/01/2007

Fresno city policeman, who claimed the city forced him into early retirement following an on-duty motorcycle accident, has settled his age-discrimination and failure-to-accommodate claim for $825,000 …

EEOC Focuses on ‘Family-Responsibilities Bias’

09/01/2007

The EEOC recently issued enforcement guidance declaring that disparate treatment of employees who care for children, parents or other family members violates federal law. “Disparate treatment” generally means an employer intentionally treated employees differently because of a protected factor such as race, gender, age or—in this case—their need to care for family members …

The legal risks of employee loitering: How ‘Hanging around’ can hang you out to dry

09/01/2007

Here’s another good reason (beyond overtime-pay risks) to discourage employees from hanging around before or after their shifts: If they get hurt, they may be able to sue you directly, rather than going through the workers’ comp system. Here’s how to avoid this legal hazard.