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Terminations

UT HR official fights for job after newspaper op-ed furor

01/05/2009

Crystal Dixon, former associate vice president of HR at the University of Toledo (UT), has filed a federal lawsuit challenging her termination for writing a newspaper column that conflicted with the university’s values. In April 2008, Dixon wrote an opinion piece defending limits on domestic-partner benefits …

Hang tough when there’s absolutely no discrimination

01/05/2009

Sometimes, you have to trust that your lawyer and the courts will do the right thing and toss out a clearly frivolous case. As long as you are sure that you have solid reasons for firing an employee who wasn’t doing her job—and that you didn’t treat her any differently than any other employee with the same track record—fire her.

Can I fire an employee whose financial woes have me worried about our own finances?

01/05/2009

Q. I recently discovered that an employee who handles my company’s accounts receivable has filed for bankruptcy. Can I discharge this employee?

Texas Workforce Commission gets $5 million for base closures

01/05/2009

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that Texas will receive a $5 million grant to help respond to military base realignment and closures.

UT faculty association sues over job losses at medical branch

01/05/2009

An association representing University of Texas faculty members recently filed a lawsuit against university officials on behalf of UT Medical Branch employees, challenging the legitimacy of the decision to lay off 3,800 employees in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

Avis Budget Group to close call center in Wichita Falls

01/05/2009

Avis Budget Group has announced that it plans to close a call center in Wichita Falls, in addition to a claims processing facility in Orlando, Fla., as part of its efforts to cut 2,200 jobs worldwide.

Tenure denial and discharge don’t give right to sue over ruined reputation

12/31/2008

Probationary university professors whose contracts aren’t renewed because they failed to achieve tenure status can’t use tenure denial alone as the basis of a suit alleging damage to their reputations. They must show that the decision was actually motivated by something like race or sex discrimination.

Seek civility, don’t sweat oversensitivity

12/31/2008

Whether a work environment is actually sexually hostile depends on whether that’s how an average person would perceive it. A supersensitive person won’t get to sue for sexual harassment if an ordinary person would brush off the alleged harassment.

Charlotte-Meck teachers disciplined for Facebook postings

12/31/2008

Offensive postings on the social networking web site Facebook led the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) to fire one employee and discipline seven others.

BoA plays role of savior in Chicago protest bailout

12/31/2008

When workers at Republic Windows & Doors in Chicago were given three days’ notice in December that the plant was closing, they staged a sit-in at the shuttered factory to demand severance pay and benefits. Republic told employees that Bank of America had canceled its financing …