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Employment Law

Case study: Look closely at consultants’ motives

08/01/2006

The Texas Insurance Commission filed charges against consulting giant Mercer HR Consulting and its client, the Houston Independent School District, claiming the company had charged the school district $20 million since 2000 and then gave the district more than $800,000 in rebates …

A ‘Perfect storm’ for organized labor is forming over Texas

08/01/2006

For Texas employers, the long-range forecast shows an unstable union atmosphere over the next several years, with pressure building from health care costs, outsourcing and immigration reform. As the united front of the AFL-CIO and the new Change to Win union blow through the state, damage may be significant …

Traumatic event can trigger workers’ comp benefits

08/01/2006

Pennsylvania employers that don’t adequately protect their employees from dangers associated with their jobs, take note. If your employees suffer post-traumatic stress disorder or depression following an armed robbery or other unusual violent act, they may be eligible for workers’ compensation for the "psychic injury" …

OK’ing medical leave won’t equal acceptance of disability

08/01/2006

If you’ve ever wondered whether allowing an employee to take medical leave will tie your hands if it comes time to challenge that employee’s disability claim, take heart. Just because you didn’t ask for medical proof of disability once, that doesn’t mean you can’t later …

Subjective fear of discipline no reason to quit

08/01/2006

To make a "constructive discharge" claim, employees must show that their working conditions were so intolerable that they had no choice but to quit and that those conditions amounted to discrimination based on age, race, sex or some other protected characteristic. But, as a new ruling shows, an employee’s subjective "fear of future discipline" isn’t grounds for a lawsuit under this constructive-discharge theory …

Consider criminal check for problem employees

08/01/2006

When you’re thinking about discharging a problem employee, consider running a criminal background check. In many cases, discovering a serious crime conviction can provide additional justification …

Making Transfers: Prepare to Prove New Job Isn’t a Dead-End

08/01/2006

When it’s time to restructure your workplace, beware the potential legal dangers of transferring employees to jobs that have no growth potential. That could be viewed as an adverse action that triggers a discrimination lawsuit …

New Pa. law restricts use of Social Security numbers

08/01/2006

Pennsylvania employers will have to go to greater lengths to keep employees’ and customers’ Social Security numbers private in the wake of new legislation signed by Gov. Rendell this summer …

Earn a new tax break for giving paid leave for organ donation

08/01/2006

A new law signed last month by Gov. Rendell, The Organ and Bone Marrow Donor Act, grants employers a tax credit if they offer paid organ-donor leave to their employees. State Rep. Robert Godshall (R-Montgomery) proposed the bill (HB 153) after hearing how some would-be organ donors would be deterred by potential economic losses from missing work …

South Philly cheesesteak icon hit with discrimination charge

08/01/2006

Geno’s, one of the two self-proclaimed creators of the Philly Cheesesteak, has been charged with discrimination by the Philadelphia Commission on Human Rights. The charge stems from a sign in the restaurant stating "This is America … When Ordering Speak English" …