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Employment Law

Austin employee promoted, files race bias suit anyway

01/28/2016
Employees who get promotions generally don’t sue their employers, but an administrative specialist for the city of Austin, Texas, has done just that.

Whistleblowing requires report outside chain

01/28/2016
Government employees in Texas are protected from retaliation for blowing the whistle on a co-worker, supervisor or the agency where they work.

That air-tight arbitration clause? It might not stop class-action after all

01/28/2016

A federal magistrate has ordered notifications sent to a large group of employees inviting them to join in a Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit.

ADA: It’s OK to just agree to accommodation

01/25/2016
When a disabled employee asks for a reasonable accommodation, the employer is supposed to engage in an interactive process to explore the options. But what if you prefer to skip the discussion and simply agree to the employee’s suggested accommodation?

Using independent contractors? Protect your intellectual property rights

01/22/2016
If you use independent contractors to perform design work, make sure your contractor agreement transfers copyrights and other intellectual property rights to you.

What can I do about employee whose volunteer firefighting duties interfere with work?

01/15/2016

Q. One of my employees is a volunteer firefighter. Although I believe that volunteering is important, his absences to respond to emergencies have disrupted workplace productivity. Can I replace him or stop him from being absent from work?

Review your own ‘playbook’ on alcoholism, accommodations

01/15/2016
2015 saw much media attention focused on the activities of coaches and players off the field—for the wrong reasons.

Lake County, Calif., prison guard files bias suit over demotion

01/15/2016
A Lake County corrections officer claims the county discriminated against him because of his race when it demoted him after an inmate was injured and later died.

Train managers on job protections for employees who are victims of domestic abuse

01/15/2016
Some California employees who are victims of domestic violence have limited job protection when they need time off for treatment, court dates or other related events.

Don’t punish employee for deposition testimony

01/15/2016
If you decide to punish an employee for testifying against you in a legal deposition, be prepared for even more litigation.