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Pennsylvania

Beware! Your ‘neutral’ rule may invite lawsuit

09/24/2010
So your work rules are fair and neutral. There’s no way employees belonging to a protected class would sue you, alleging the rule has a disparate impact. Guess again—it happens. Consider this recent case, which has resulted in years of legal wrangling.

Ensure fair distribution of work opportunities

09/24/2010

Does your company employ salespeople who are responsible for meeting certain benchmark goals? If so, be sure you have some way to check that everyone competes on an even footing. That includes ensuring that things like territories and leads are distributed in a way that doesn’t favor members of one group at the expense of another.

Philadelphia attorney accused of $1 million embezzlement

09/10/2010
Jeffrey Abramowitz had worked his way from law student to named partner at the Center City firm of Klevan & Abramowitz. That all came to an end last December when senior partner Mitchell Klevan discovered evidence that Abramowitz had been depositing client funds into his personal account and diverting firm funds for his own purposes.

Polio pioneer sues Jefferson hospital over ouster

09/01/2010
Hilary Koprowski, the Polish-born developer of the precursor to Albert Sabin’s oral polio vaccine, has sued Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University Hospital after it shut down his research lab. The hospital claims Koprowski’s lab doesn’t bring in enough grant money to fund its operation.

What are the laws on correcting timecards?

08/27/2010
Q. We use a timecard punch-in/punch-out system. If an employee forgets to punch in, and we manually do it, do any labor laws apply?

When must we announce new benefit terms?

08/27/2010
Q. Currently, our company pays 70% of employees’ health insurance premiums. Now we need to either decrease the percentage or possibly ask employees to pay the entire premium. How much notice must we give employees before making such a change?

Can a private ‘moral’ issue be the basis for terminating an employee?

08/27/2010
Q. Our church day care center hired a woman who—we later found out—was living with a man who was married to someone else. Our director had a moral problem with this situation and terminated her. I think the termination was illegal. Was it?

Is pay required for after-hours work functions?

08/27/2010
Q. Can we require full-time nonexempt employees to attend work-related functions after regular hours? If so, should this time be compensated?

Know your union posting requirements under Executive Order 13496

08/27/2010
Final rules are now in place for enforcing Executive Order 13496, the White House decree requiring all federal contractors and subcontractors to notify employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act—the primary federal law governing the relationship between private-sector employers and unions.

Apple co-op settles sex and race harassment complaints

08/27/2010
The farmers’ co-op that produces Musselman’s applesauce has settled an EEOC sexual and racial harassment complaint filed by eight Mexican-American women who worked at a factory in Gardners.