Featured Articles

EEOC Proposes New Age Discrimination Regulations

Dennis Westlind
February 18, 2010 15:17

Today the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) releases new regulations that will define employers' "reasonable factors other than age" or "RFOA" defense under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).  The new regulations would reflect...

EEOC Updates H1N1 Guidance

Dennis Westlind
October 21, 2009 15:40

The H1N1 virus (aka "swine flu") continues to spread.  Is your workplace prepared?  Are your policies and procedures legally compliant?  In order to help employers, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its guidance for employers titled...

Homeland Security Announces Temporary Protected Status for Haitian Nationals

Dennis Westlind
January 20, 2010 15:40

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced last week a temporary protected status ("TPS") for Haitian nationals who were in the United States as of January 12, 2010.  The temporary status  will allow eligible Haitian nationals to continue living and working...

Employer Did Not Violate Title VII By Firing Employee For Wearing a Nose Ring

Dennis Westlind
August 11, 2009 17:18

A Federal court in Florida has ruled that a Subway restaurant did not violate Title VII by firing an employee because she wore a nose ring, rejecting a claim by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for injunctive relief and punitive damages.  Click here to read the...

LinkedIn Debate Highlights Broader Issue of Inflated Performance Evaluations

Dennis Westlind
July 29, 2009 15:00

Recently, an interesting debate has erupted in the employment law blogosphere over this National Law Journal piece cautioning employers about the risks posed by making recommendations on LinkedIn -- a social networking website for professionals.  The perceived danger scenario is...

New Salt Lake City Ordinances Prohibit Housing and Employment Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation

Dennis Westlind
November 11, 2009 18:18

Yesterday the Salt Lake City Council unanimously passed ordinances prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.  Click here to download a copy of the City Council's Staff Report on the ordinances, along with full text of the new laws.  Highlights of...

Washington Domestic Partnership Law Impacts Employee Benefits and Family Leave

Dennis Westlind
November 17, 2009 18:40

Washington voters recently approved Referendum 71, giving registered domestic partners all of the rights and responsibilities of married couples under Washington state law.   Prior domestic partnership laws gave registered domestic partners limited rights and responsibilities such as...

Fake Job Reference Site Highlights Importance of Verifying Applicant References

Dennis Westlind
August 19, 2009 19:08

As if navigating the world of employment issues was not hard enough already, today's Consumerist highlighted a new service that purports to provide, among other things, fake job references. While I have not formed a conclusion as to whether the site is real or a sham (many of the internal links on...

Despite Assertions to Contrary, Employment Laws Do Exist

Dennis Westlind
January 29, 2010 17:14

On my way in to work this morning, I was listening to NPR’s Morning Edition, and caught an interview with Lewis Maltby, president of the National Workrights Institute. The interview was ostensibly to promote Mr. Maltby’s new book, “ Can They Do That?” in which he discusses...

Supreme Court to Rule on Authority of Two-Member NLRB

Dennis Westlind
November 04, 2009 15:47

This week the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal in New Process Steel v. NLRB and determine whether the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has the authority to decide cases with only two sitting members.  The NLRB is the independent federal agency that administers the National...