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Firing

Refusing to follow orders doesn’t always equal insubordination

02/01/2001
The new fire alarm system at Seattle’s Key Arena automatically cuts off the public address system so that emergency personnel can issue instructions. When the feature disrupted Sonics basketball games, arena …

Gambling on who may sue is a losing bet

12/01/2000
When racial tensions among third-shift employees at a Wal-Mart boiled over, Gail Robinson reported it to her managers several times. African-American co-workers called her “white bitch,” shoved and threatened her …

Series of ‘minor’ incidents
can add up to hostile environment

11/01/2000
Cheryl Conner blew away her male co-workers in skills training for her new metal-processing job. The trouble started when she went from the classroom …

Avoid overly specific ‘grounds for firing’ list

11/01/2000
A United Parcel Service (UPS) worker broke into a profane tirade at two supervisors in a dispute over his check. When he refused to stop, the HR director dismissed him on …

Don’t ‘shoot the messenger’, retaliation claim will usually stick

11/01/2000
Restaurant manager Peter Ball knew that one of his waiters was preparing to sue the restaurant for unpaid overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). When Ball alerted the company …

Adapt work schedules to worship, religious TV shows included

11/01/2000
Employers are required to adjust work schedules to accommodate their employees’ religious observances, even for nontraditional beliefs. In a recent case, an employee …

Title VII’s silence on gay bias doesn’t give OK to discriminate

10/01/2000
It would be an understatement to describe the working relationship between nurse Gary Hamner and the hospital’s medical director as poor. Hamner, a homosexual, says …

Extra damages can be awarded to cover tax consequences

10/01/2000
A jury awarded Richard O’Neill $519,000 in his age discrimination lawsuit against Sears. But O’Neill asked the judge to award extra damages to cover …

Workers can moonlight during FMLA leave

09/01/2000
Minutes after arguing with her supervisor, hospital psychiatric nurse Debbie Stekloff said she was too upset to work and walked off the job. Later that day …

Let employee bring co-worker to inquiry meeting

09/01/2000
If one of your employees wants to bring a co-worker along to an investigative meeting that could result in discipline, you’d better let him. Union employees …