Tomorrow, March 24th, Betty Dukes and the now two million women who are members of the largest sex-discrimination class action case, Dukes v. Wal-Mart, move one step closer to victory. A panel of 11 judges of the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear Wal-Mart’s latest attempt to stop this case from moving forward …
Didn’t they used to say that bad news came in 3’s? Today if feels like it’s coming in 3,000’s. Jeez, I can’t remember the last good news that I’ve heard about my portfolio, the economy, the workplace, world events, etc. Ouch! Which reminds me of a classmate’s question during my old MBA days. We were …
The Labor Department’s announcement of its proposed temporary suspension of the Bush Administration’s changes to the H-2A agricultural guestworker program will be officially published in the Federal Register today (Tuesday, March 17th). The Bush Administration finalized its changes to the guestworker program in midnight legislation last December. The new rules for the program, which slash …
What will it take for me to invest in the stock market, as you suggested that I should, Mr. President? I know the market is cheap and will eventually rally, but there is just one itty-bitty problem. I don’t trust the leadership of any organization that has received TARP funds or any other taxpayer money. …
It was more than a hundred years ago that women workers in New York’s garment industry joined to protest poor working conditions: long working days, low pay and no voice in the decisions made in their workplace. As we observe International Women’s Day 2009, the holiday designed to honor courageous working women in the past, …
On International Women’s Day, Let’s Have Paid Sick Leave Read More »
Nothing surprises me at work any more. After personally responding to over 50,000 emails from the corner office and the cube and 14 years as a workplace advice columnist, I thought I’d seen it all. I was wrong. CareerBuilder asked employees how often they arrived late for work. At the end of 2007, 15 percent …
A few years ago Workplace911 did an online poll. It asked, “Which movie title best describes your relationship with your boss?” Sure, the question was light-hearted, but the results weren’t: Little Shop of Horrors: 20% It’s a Wonderful Life: 24% But the #1 movie title describing the relationship between employees and bosses? House of Games: …
Memo to CEOs: Your Employees Just Aren’t That Into You Read More »
Two weeks ago, the North Carolina chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a big-business backed group, “honored” Senator Richard Burr and U.S. Representative Howard Coble each with a “Defense of the American Worker.” That title, of course, is a distraction. Anyone familiar with Sen. Burr’s and Rep. Coble’s record would never consider them friends of workers, …
Don’t Be Fooled: “Defense of the American Worker” Award Is Not a Good Thing Read More »
It’s time to review three ideas that need to be “let go” in 2009. 1. Credit Checks of Job Applicants. According to the Society of Human Resource Management and Kroll, 43% of employers run credit checks on potential employees, up from 36% in 2004. These checks involve rent, student loans, credit cards and mortgages and …
Note: On Friday, February 20 at 8:30 pm (check local listings at pbs.org), NOW on PBS collaborates with the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University to bring you a broadcast investigation of teen sexual harassment in the workplace. Reporter Maria Hinojosa talks below about the experience of her investigation. I always talk about …
Teen Sexual Harassment on the Job – NOW on PBS Investigation Airs February 20 Read More »
Madeline Messa is a 3L at Syracuse University College of Law. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. With her legal research and writing for Workplace Fairness, she strives to equip people with the information they need to be their own best advocate.
