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Employment Law

Beware bias against child-rearing dads

04/03/2013
Here’s a heads-up about a possible new form of sex discrimination litigation. A father who can’t work overtime because he has child-care responsibilities may have a case if he can show that mothers were treated more favorably than fathers when it comes to flexible schedules. So ruled a federal court in New York.

What are the details on new FMLA changes?

04/03/2013
Q. Are we required to put up a new FMLA poster? Did the DOL recently make other FMLA changes we need to know about?

On the DOL’s regulatory horizon: WHD rules, ‘right to know’

04/03/2013

The most recently released regulatory agenda of the DOL focuses on three major areas: 1. A “plan/prevent/protect” strategy that seeks to achieve compliance with workplace laws each and every day. 2. A departmental commitment to openness and transparency. 3. Reducing employee risk.

Feds seek more than $1 million from San Antonio restaurants

04/03/2013
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is seeking a fortune in fortune cookies from three San Antonio-area China Sea Restaurants after an investigation revealed massive minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping violations.

Frisco car wash cleans up act, pays employees back

04/03/2013
Genter’s Detailing in Frisco, Texas, has agreed to pay $22,345 to its employees follow­ing a DOL Wage and Hour Division investigation. The in­­vestigation revealed that the car wash and auto detailer regularly reduced the wages of 53 current and former employees by $200 to $400 for costs allegedly associated with damage to vehicles under their care.

New restaurant owner finds predecessor cooked the books

04/03/2013

Three lessons from a pending lawsuit in Dallas: 1. If your employees work overtime, pay them for it. 2. Don’t falsify records to cover your tracks. 3. Don’t sell your business to some­­one who is suing you for stiffing them out of overtime.

Crack down on retaliation: Your #1 risk in job-bias lawsuits

04/03/2013
Supervisors in your organization probably know it’s illegal to discriminate based on race, age, sex, religion or disability. But apparently far fewer realize those same federal laws also make it illegal to retaliate against people for voicing complaints about such discrimination.

Complaining to top exec isn’t protected whistle-blowing

04/03/2013
In a case decided the same day as UTSWMC v. Gentilello, MD, the Supreme Court of Texas concluded that complaining to senior leadership about alleged illegal activity doesn’t constitute protected whistle-blowing under the Texas Whistleblower Act.

Serial complainer requires patience, good records

04/03/2013
Patience is a virtue. Practice it, especially when you have an employee who seems to gripe about everything. Sure, serial complainers are a pain. Don’t make matters worse by striking back.

Ensure FMLA eligibility before approving leave

04/03/2013
Here’s a problem that’s quite common for employers with several work sites spread far apart and one common HR department. Many employees may be eligible for FMLA leave, but some may not be if they work at a location with fewer than 50 employees that’s located within 75 miles of the main office.