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Pennsylvania

Employment Lawyer Network:
Pennsylvania

Susan K. Lessack (Editor)

Pepper Hamilton LLP
Pennsylvania Employment Law

LessackS@PepperLaw.com
(610) 640-7806

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Susan K. Lessack is a partner in the Berwyn and Philadelphia offices of Pepper Hamilton LLP. She concentrates her practice in employment counseling and employment litigation. Ms. Lessack’s experience includes counseling employers on matters related to compliance with federal and state labor and employment laws, counseling regarding employee discipline and terminations, conducting investigations of employee conduct, including harassment, training employers on their obligations under employment laws and litigation avoidance, and developing employment policies. She defends employers in litigation of employment discrimination claims, wrongful discharge claims, and claims under federal and state employment-related statutes, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law.

New Oxford tavern owner accused of sexual harassment

12/01/2006

The EEOC last month filed a lawsuit against the owner of the Crazy Horse Steak House & Saloon in New Oxford for sexually harassing female employees …

Pa. legislature weighs health insurance tax credit

12/01/2006

The Pennsylvania legislature is considering an important bill that would create a special tax credit for Pennsylvania small businesses …

We’re smart; we really, really are

12/01/2006

According to independent private research firm Morgan Quitno Press, Pennsylvanians are a smart bunch. The company ranked Pennsylvania No. 10 in its fifth annual Smartest State Awards

Pa. lawmakers backing gay-Discrimination bill

12/01/2006

If Senator Jim Ferlo (D-Allegheny) and 19 other state senators get their way, employers will have another anti-discrimination law to worry about. Ferlo has reintroduced legislation that would ban gay discrimination in employment, housing and credit

Navigating Pennsylvania’s new minimum wage law

12/01/2006

For many Pennsylvania employers, the state’s new minimum wage law taking effect Jan. 1, 2007, is straightforward: It raises the minimum wage they must pay employees to $6.25 per hour from the current federally mandated rate of $5.15. The law, however, has numerous loopholes that you need to know about

Layoff choices: Focus on performance, not just salary level

11/01/2006

Nothing triggers age discrimination lawsuits like a layoff. After all, saving money is a primary consideration in most decisions to downsize. And because long-term employees are often paid more than newer employees, organizations that focus on money often end up with layoff lists heavy with post-40-year-olds. That’s a recipe for an Age Discrimination in Employment Act lawsuit …

Use snail mail, not e-mail, to file unemployment appeal

11/01/2006

While it may seem convenient to use e-mail to file appeals of unemployment compensation decisions, be aware of this risk: If the Unemployment Compensation Board of Review doesn’t receive your e-mail, your appeal will be rejected when the 15-day appeal period expires …

Employees can hold you to oral pay promises under Pa. law

11/01/2006

Here’s a reason to be extra careful about what you say to employees regarding their pay: The Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law (WPCL) gives employees a way to collect on employers’ promises about wages, even if those promises were never put in writing …

Prepare to justify answers with solid business reasons

11/01/2006

While many employees view a transfer to a different location as a positive career move, others don’t see it that way. Some employees may assume discrimination in what your organization thinks of as normal career development …

Carefully craft an escape clause in all job contracts

11/01/2006

If you use employment contracts for independent contractors or senior-level managers, make sure those contracts contain enough "wiggle room" to terminate for cause based on your subjective performance assessment …