Last week, the Supreme Court finally decided the issue of whether the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) allows groups of older workers to bring what are known as “disparate impact” cases, in the case of Smith v. City of Jackson. While the decision was positive in that it did not rule these types of …
When someone speaks up about discrimination they observe, should it matter whether they themselves are being discriminated against? In many instances, the law requires victims to complain, but what happens when those who complain become victims? The U.S. Supreme Court this week made the law concerning retaliation a bit more clear, in the case of …
Retaliation Equals Discrimination, Thanks to Coach Jackson Read More »
Those whose lives are considered to be out of the mainstream, which seems to be more homogeneous by the minute these days, can find it as much of a challenge to educate the judicial system as it is to educate everyone else around them. They may not have much positive to say about the supposed …
We all know of so many ways that employers can stack the deck against employees, but now employers have a new tool in their arsenal, courtesy of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Now, unless an employee is a member of a union, he or she must face an employer alone, rather than being allowed …
The headlines couldn’t help but attract my attention as an interesting juxtaposition of workplace trends on the same day: Surveys Find Workers Only Average Three Productive Days a Week, and Survey: Third of Americans are overworked. Then couple that with a little March Madness and computer solitaire, which according to some, brings workplaces to a …
Slack or Heart Attack: Which Is It, Corporate America? Read More »
If you observe the U.S. Senate at all these days, you know it’s a very fractured and partisan institution, with hardly anyone agreeing on anything, much less bills that benefit workers. So it may surprise you to learn that the Senate recently passed a civil rights bill with a 98-0 vote. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination …
Genetic Discrimination: Why Is Nothing Happening in the House? Read More »
There were a lot of people stunned by this week’s announcement by Boeing that its CEO, Harry Stonecipher, was being given the boot in response to the disclosure of his affair with a fellow Boeing employee. Those used to the usual paradigm, where the less powerful subordinate (generally a woman) is considered more expendable, may …
Is Corporate America Finally Starting to Get It? Or Will They Miss the Point? Read More »
Class action lawsuits may not be the most critical problem facing our democracy, but you wouldn’t know that from what happened recently. On February 18, the President signed the so-called “Class Action Fairness Act” into law. This law will remove most class actions from state to federal court, which might not sound so bad until …
Class Action Bill Sails Into Law Without Labor Exception Read More »
If you follow employment trends, you’ve probably seen more than one story in the past two weeks about Weyco, an Okemos, Michigan company that recently adopted a no-smoking policy so strict that employees who refused to quit smoking and/or submit to a smoking test were fired after the policy went into effect January 1. For …
Flash in the Pan, or Threatening Trend: Workplace Smoking Restrictions Read More »
Late last year, when a measure to reduce the taxation of plaintiffs’ discrimination awards by eliminating taxation of attorneys’ fees was passed, those currently in legal battles against their employers, and the advocates who represent them, had a reason to celebrate. No longer would their victories run the same risk of being completely undone by …
Discrimination Victims’ Hopes Dashed With Supreme Court Decision on Taxes 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.
