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North Carolina

Be prepared to justify bonuses based on work performance

07/01/2008
It seems inevitable. Anytime you award variable bonuses to some employees, there’s apt to be some grumbling from those who got less or nothing at all. But if you make sure to base bonus calculations on reasonable and legitimate business reasons, that grumbling won’t turn into a lawsuit you lose …

You aren’t required to launch a perfect investigation

07/01/2008
Employers know they have to investigate sexual harassment complaints. It’s the only way to avoid liability in some sexual harassment cases. But your investigation doesn’t have to be perfect—just prompt and reasonable …

Include ‘At-Will’ disclaimer when adopting HR policies

07/01/2008
Under some circumstances, North Carolina government employees may be entitled to due process if they have a “property interest” in their jobs. That means they get a hearing and a chance to defend themselves before being terminated. Smart public employers can, however, limit that possibility by making sure that nothing in their employment policies creates a property interest in a job …

Beware! Courts giving more leeway to employees who act as their own attorneys

07/01/2008
The employment law cases hardest to handle are often those in which an applicant or employee doesn’t have an attorney. Those employees often file complaints and lawsuits containing what seem like out-of-the-blue allegations. Now federal judges seem to be exacerbating the problem by giving unrepresented litigants every benefit of the doubt …

Former official sues NASCAR for $225 million

07/01/2008
Mauricia Grant, a former NASCAR technical inspector, has filed a $225 million lawsuit against the stock car racing sanctioning body for racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination, saying “life in the garage” was appalling …

Insurance agent charged in DOI investigator’s death

07/01/2008
Michael Howell, owner of Dilworth Insurance Agency in Charlotte, has been charged in the death of North Carolina Department of Insurance (NCDOI) investigator Sallie Rohrbach. Rohrbach was auditing Howell’s agency, which had been dropped by GMAC Insurance for not promptly remitting premiums …

Settlement in race case despite employee’s ‘Scandalous’ record

07/01/2008
Boda Plumbing of Monroe has agreed to pay $18,500 to Anthrone Cunningham to settle an EEOC racial discrimination lawsuit. Before settling, Boda Plumbing asked the court to consider that Cunningham has “an extensive criminal record …

Masonry firm misclassified workers as independent contractors

07/01/2008
Nelson Torres Garcia, owner of Stone Masonry Unlimited in Fuquay-Varina, has agreed to pay $10,000 in fines for misclassifying five people working on a construction project in Braintree, Mass., as independent contractors …

Civil rights groups seek union representation for gov’t workers

07/01/2008
The NAACP and other civil rights groups urged lawmakers to give government employees collective bargaining rights during the organization’s “People of Color Justice and Unity Legislative Day” on May 28 in Raleigh …

NCA&T employees helped themselves, audit finds

07/01/2008
An annual audit of North Carolina A&T State University found that 27% of scholarships reserved for the Bookstore Scholarship Fund for needy students were awarded to relatives of university employees …