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Texas

Stick to FMLA certification rules, or lose your rights

08/01/2006

Make sure your supervisors (and you) know how to respond when an employee requests leave for his or her own serious illness or a family member’s illness. If you don’t follow the FMLA’s rules on how and when to request written proof about the illness or injury, you lose your right to challenge the employee’s leave request …

Texas court: Prisoners aren’t entitled to the minimum wage

08/01/2006

Compelling a prisoner to work without pay is not illegal, a federal court has ruled in considering a Texas inmate’s request. The prisoner worked in the prison laundry and claimed he should be paid at least the federal minimum wage …

Case study: Look closely at consultants’ motives

08/01/2006

The Texas Insurance Commission filed charges against consulting giant Mercer HR Consulting and its client, the Houston Independent School District, claiming the company had charged the school district $20 million since 2000 and then gave the district more than $800,000 in rebates …

It’s a seller’s job market for recent college grads

08/01/2006

When ranking the number of entry-level professional positions available, Dallas ranks third in the country behind larger markets New York City and Chicago …

Technology workers in demand again in Texas

08/01/2006

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, technology jobs are again experiencing strong growth in Texas after several years of declines …

Texas city provides lesson on background checks

08/01/2006

When the Grand Prairie parks department hired Damon Bryan as a maintenance worker, it asked him about his criminal background. Bryan told them he had a conviction for aggravated assault, but he left out the type of assault. He had been convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl …

A ‘Perfect storm’ for organized labor is forming over Texas

08/01/2006

For Texas employers, the long-range forecast shows an unstable union atmosphere over the next several years, with pressure building from health care costs, outsourcing and immigration reform. As the united front of the AFL-CIO and the new Change to Win union blow through the state, damage may be significant …

You can require reservists to arbitrate USERRA claims

08/01/2006

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) protects the rights of soldiers and reservists who are called to active duty or training and want to return to their jobs once their service is over. But these rights aren’t without limits …

Employees’ Seniority Trumps Disabled Co-Workers’ ADA Rights

07/01/2006

If you award first choice of promotions, shifts, vacation slots and other perks based on employees’ seniority, you’ll face a dilemma if a disabled employee requests an ADA accommodation that conflicts with that policy …

Placing Employee on ‘Involuntary’ FMLA Leave Is Perfectly Legal

07/01/2006

When an employee calls in sick with an apparently serious ailment, you can place that employee on FMLA leave, even if he or she never asks. f you reasonably believe she has a serious health condition, you can start the 12-week FMLA-leave clock ticking …