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Ohio

Goodyear settles disability suit

08/07/2012
Akron-based Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has paid $20,000 to a former employee at a plant in North Carolina who claims she was fired because of a medical condition.

Fairmont English teacher terminated for name-calling

08/07/2012
What’s in a name? That’s what the Kettering Board of Education asked two years ago after Fairmont High School English teacher Michael Togliatti began calling his students “idiot,” “troll” and “hobbit.”

Planned layoffs can include those who took FMLA leave

08/07/2012
Employees on FMLA leave sometimes think they’re immume from being discharged. That’s not true. As long as FMLA leave isn’t a factor in the decision, you can fire those on leave.

Employees who sue and lose are now more likely liable for court costs

08/07/2012
In a sign that courts want to discourage frivolous lawsuits, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the assessment of court costs after dismissing a failure-to-promote claim. This is an extremely promising development.

Honorably discharged and returning to work? Don’t make vets jump through extra hoops

08/07/2012
If an employee who is also in the military is called to active duty, is released with an honorable discharge and asks to return to his old job, you cannot place any extraneous conditions on his return.

Use greater experience, extra skills to justify why you pay some employees more than others

08/07/2012
Some employees wrongly assume that discrimination must be to blame if someone doing the same work earns more than they do. But even under the Equal Pay Act, employers are allowed to value employees with more highly specific skills and experience.

Mediator called in to clean up Summit prison shower dispute

08/07/2012

Female prison guards and Summit County officials have agreed to bring in a mediator to help settle a long-running dispute over a county policy that forbids the women from guarding prisoners who are showering. The guards claim the policy means they receive fewer raises and miss out on promotion opportunities.

OK to terminate, even after FMLA leave request

08/07/2012
If you were going to terminate an employee before you learned she wanted FMLA leave, you still can. Just be sure you can document when and why the termination decision was made.

Violence flares? You can discipline flexibly

07/16/2012
Do you have a zero-tolerance policy for workplace violence? That doesn’t mean you have to fire everyone who violates the letter of the rule. You can use some discretion, as long as you document why.

State-by-state 2012 short-term child-care leave laws

07/14/2012

The federal FMLA doesn’t cover employees who take time off for school visits or to care for kids who aren’t seriously ill but who must stay home from school. Some state laws do. The chart below summarizes state short-term leave laws.