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Employment Law

What are the pitfalls of ‘double-breasting’ to win nonunion contracts?

07/17/2013
Q. We are a construction contractor. We work union, but increasingly find ourselves losing bids because we can’t compete with nonunion companies in certain industry segments. Can we just set up a separate operation to bid the nonunion work? I’ve heard that such “double-breasting” is common practice.

National origin, language & religion: Legally managing diversity at work

07/17/2013
To achieve compliance and prevent successful discrimination claims (which could involve class-action exposure), employers must be attuned to workplace issues around national origin, religion and race. For most employers, this means training management and HR personnel to carefully consider their policy-making and daily decisions that can affect such issues.

Lounge, exotic dancers agree to settle classification lawsuit

07/17/2013
Lure, a “gentlemen’s club” in Min­ne­­apolis, has agreed to pay $300,000 to settle a class-action lawsuit with its exotic dancers, who claimed they were employees, not independent contractors as Lure had contended.

New state law expands whistle-blower protections

07/17/2013
Gov. Mark Dayton has signed into law an expansion of the state’s 1987 whistle-blower act. The new Minne­­­­sota Whistleblower’s Act protects from retaliation both public- and private-sector employees who report misconduct.

Long ago comment won’t taint current legitimate disciplinary action

07/17/2013
Here’s some good news for em­ployers that promote an employee into a supervisory position not knowing she may have made racist comments in the past. As long as the new supervisor follows company disciplinary rules and HR carefully documents any performance and disciplinary problems, chances are the old comments won’t sink the em­­­ploy­­er’s defense of a discrimination claim.

Sick employee wants less overtime? Consider that a request for intermittent FMLA leave

07/17/2013
Don’t try to “create” artificial overtime for a disabled em­­ployee so she’ll be forced to use up her FMLA entitlement. That’s especially true if no one else is required to actually work overtime. Such a tactic will backfire.

FMLA: What if worker won’t return to old job?

07/17/2013
Employees who take protected FMLA leave are supposed to return to the same or an equivalent position in terms of pay, duties and benefits. But what if the employee doesn’t want the same job for some reason? Must you create a new job for her? No.

Zip it! Keep all investigations confidential

07/17/2013
Employees who participate in internal investigations into discrimination charges are protected from retaliation. That’s why it’s good policy to keep investigations confidential. Don’t divulge the names of cooperating employees to anyone who doesn’t need to know.

What does the ACA employer mandate delay mean for you?

07/17/2013
Where does your organization stand now that the Obama administration has pushed back the employer mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act?

When using temps, make sure temp agency retains control of employment relationship

07/17/2013

Using temporary workers can be an effective way to stretch your labor budget without making a long-term staffing commitment. But if a temp sues over alleged discrimination, you may not have saved much money. To prevent surprises, make sure you treat the temp as a guest—leave the employment details to the agency that supplies the temp.