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Florida

Animal control officer dogged by prescription revelation

11/01/2007

A Port St. Lucie animal control officer is suing the city after her supervisor wrote a public memo revealing the officer’s use of a prescription drug. The supervisor found legal anti-anxiety pills in the officer’s purse while searching her work truck for a receipt related to a wayward-dog case …

Cocoa faces second discrimination trial for lunchroom noose

11/01/2007

A retired Cocoa water worker, who lost a federal discrimination suit against the city nine months ago, filed again—this time in Brevard County’s 18th Judicial Circuit Court. The lawsuits center on three incidents in which the worker, who is black, says he was subjected to racist comments and taunted by a hangman’s noose …

Florida pulls $1.3 billion in Iranian, Sudanese investments

11/01/2007

Florida’s public retirement fund will get rid of nearly $1.3 billion in investments with companies doing business in Iran and Sudan, a move state officials hope will prompt similar actions throughout the country. State Sen. Ted Deutch, who sponsored the law, said the state is “telling every one of these companies that from this day forward we won’t invest another dollar, Florida’s public dollars,” in them …

Janitors sue over union rights

11/01/2007

Janitors working in Miami’s Bayside Mall joined with workers from five states to fight the coercive anti-union tactics of General Growth Properties (GGP) and two of its cleaning contractors. The National Labor Relations Board has sought a rare 10(j) injunction—a federal court order reserved for cases of egregious violations of workers’ civil rights—against the companies …

Tech Data Corp. makes ‘Best Places to Work for GLBT’ list

11/01/2007

Tech Data Corporation, a global IT products provider based in Clearwater, made the list of “2007 Best Places to Work for GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) Equality,” a ranking of employers’ policies toward GLBT employees …

Transgender firing catalyzes civil rights movement

11/01/2007

South Florida has become the epicenter of the transgender civil rights movement following the firing of Largo City Manager Susan Stanton. It was too much for city leaders to take when Stanton transitioned from male to female. She was dismissed despite a good job performance …

Crime-Fighting waiter fired after stopping carjacking

11/01/2007

A waiter who lost his job after saving a woman from a carjacker outside of the 84 Thai Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale where he worked won’t have trouble finding a new one …

Beware managers who participate in drive to unionize workers

11/01/2007

When union-organizing efforts target a business, managers usually sit on the sidelines. But managers may have sympathies with either side, and their actions could cause problems for either the employer or the union. Your best bet is to rely on professional negotiators and labor counsel …

Insist on accurate time sheets, even if it costs you OT

10/01/2007

The Fair Labor Standards Act says employers must pay overtime to hourly employees who work more than 40 hours per week. Work time includes more than just the hours you put on the employee’s schedule—it also includes any time you “permitted” the employee to work outside the schedule. And therein lies a big overtime headache …

Separate the decision-Maker from the investigation

10/01/2007

When it comes to internal investigations looking into potential wrongdoings, it’s a good idea to put a wall between the investigator and the ultimate decision-maker. The investigator should present the facts of the case and leave drawing conclusions and deciding discipline to someone else …