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Employment Law

John Muir Health settles EEOC ‘latex bias’ charges

05/20/2011
John Muir Health agreed to settle bias charges brought by the EEOC, claim­ing the East Bay hospital system dis­­criminated against job applicants ­perceived to have latex allergies.

Supreme Court approves class-action waivers in arbitration

05/20/2011
On April 27, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Federal Arbitration Act protects a company’s right to include a class-action waiver in its arbitration agreement even though a state law bars such provisions as unconscionable. The case involved a retail consumer transaction, but it could have important implications for employers that use arbitration agreements.

Hispanic workers at higher risk for on-the-job fatalities

05/20/2011
A report recently issued by Worksafe, a California advocacy group, found that California Hispanic workers are more than 50% more likely to die at work than non-Hispanic workers.

Children’s Hospital nurses return to work after strike

05/20/2011
After a five-day strike, registered nurses have started returning to their jobs at Children’s Hospital in Oak­land. The nurses, represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, walked out on May 5 over a dispute about health care benefits.

You may be liable for harassment of nonemployees

05/20/2011
Employees shouldn’t have to endure sexual harassment, whether it comes from another employee or someone outside the company.

Lawmakers urged to reject new labor contracts

05/20/2011
The nonpartisan California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) has urged state law­makers to consider rejecting some or all of six new collective bargaining agreements negotiated with state employee unions in March.

Discuss retirement after layoff decision has been made

05/20/2011
Timing is everything. Suggesting retirement before any decision has been made to terminate an employee may show age discrimination. Discussing it after informing the employee that he’s been terminated doesn’t.

When workers’ comp and disability collide: 100% disabled worker may deserve accommodation

05/20/2011
Don’t make a common employer mis­take and assume that someone who is declared 100% disabled under a workers’ compensation claim can’t also be entitled to reasonable accommodations for a different job.

Be prepared to prove you had reasonable cause to deny reinstatement after FMLA leave

05/20/2011
Employers that deny an employee the right to reinstatement after protected FMLA leave must make sure there’s solid proof that there was a rational reason for doing so. As a practical matter, that means employers must show that the employee would have lost her job regardless of whether she took FMLA leave.

Ensure arbitration agreements are clear, fair

05/20/2011
Given their druthers, courts would just as soon rule that employment arbitration agreements are valid—and send them back for an arbitrator to settle. But employers must help by making those agreements easily understood, fair and not entirely one-sided.