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Employment Law

Be prepared to back up cost of religious accommodations

09/01/2007

You can’t just use a blanket statement (e.g., “granting time off will be expensive”) to deny a request for religious accommodation. You must be prepared to show the actual cost of the accommodation. That’s true even if giving someone the Sabbath day off means having to hire another employee to cover the time …

Hair today or gone tomorrow: It’s up to employee to mention religion

09/01/2007

When it comes to accommodating religious practices, employers aren’t required to be clairvoyant. If an employee wants you to accommodate a religious practice or objects to a work rule because it interferes with his or her right to practice religion, the employee has to let you know how practicing the religion precludes following the rule …

Attorney general cracks down on forced unionization

09/01/2007

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott recently sued employers and a labor organization in El Paso and Corpus Christi for allegedly forcing employees to become union members or pay union dues in violation of the state’s right-to-work law …

Receive public funds? Better not hire illegal workers

09/01/2007

In June, Gov. Rick Perry signed a bill that requires Texas businesses receiving taxpayer-subsidized, job-creation grants and tax abatements to certify that they will not knowingly employ undocumented workers …

Now hear this: Subway franchisee must pay $166,500 in ADA case

09/01/2007

A federal district court jury awarded a Subway restaurant employee $166,500 in a disability discrimination suit. After a trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, the jury concluded that Bobrich Enterprises Inc., which operates Subway restaurants in Dallas, violated the ADA by harassing a hearing-impaired employee …

BP to pay $92,000 for 2005 accident that killed 15

09/01/2007

OSHA announced that it has fined BP Products of North America $92,000 for violations at its refinery in Texas City. The citations come as the result of a March 2005 accident that killed 15 people and injured 170 others …

The long and short of it: Do different grooming policies equal discrimination?

09/01/2007

Q. We have a company policy requiring male employees to keep their hair cut short. One worker says we can’t force him to cut his hair because we don’t tell female workers to do the same. Is this true? …

Does grooming policy interfere with religious belief?

09/01/2007

Q. Can we require a job applicant to cut his hair as a condition of employment even if he alleges that his religion forbids him from cutting his hair? …

Who’s exempt, who’s not? Free FLSA checklist helps you decide

08/28/2007

It’s a perennial HR challenge: Determining whether an employee is exempt from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. We make the job easier with HR Specialist’s free checklist, as well as a free white paper detailing how to comply with the law.

How to handle ‘No-Match’ letters: New rules go into effect on Sept. 14

08/19/2007

The Department of Homeland Security just published final regulations that provide guidance to employers on how to respond to "no-match" letters, which notify employers of discrepancies with employees’ Social Security numbers. If you follow those steps correctly, you’ll earn immunity from penalties if illegal workers are found at your business. How can you comply? Read on.