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On Thursday (7/10), the House of Representatives, in an extremely close vote, rejected Democratic efforts to prevent proposed overtime regulations from going into effect. The 213-210 vote indicates that even some Republicans in labor-friendly districts understand the negative impact that these changes could have on their constituents. However, it’s not clear whether the Senate, considered …

House of Representatives Turns Back Bid to Change Overtime Regulations Read More »

Today the Senate Judiciary Committee, poised to take action on the nomination of William Pryor to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, chose to delay the vote on his nomination for one week. (See Birmingham News article.) Democratic members of the Committee viewed the delay, initiated by the Republican majority, as a sign that support …

Pryor’s Nomination Vote Delayed, So Act Now! Read More »

Tuesday’s (7/8) tragedy in Meridian, Mississippi, where Lockheed Martin employee Doug Williams shot five of his coworkers and injured nine others before killing himself, again draws attention to the problem of workplace violence. When compared to other workplace safety concerns, incidents such as those in Meridian may appear relatively isolated and unpredictable, but the tragic …

Workplace Violence In the Spotlight After Mississippi Killings Read More »

Wal-Mart spokesperson Tom Williams says “We want all of our associates to feel they are treated with respect and valued, with no exceptions at all.” That is why, he said, the company recently announced that it would add sexual orientation to its company anti-discrimination policy. (See Seattle Times article.) Coming shortly on the heels of …

Wal-Mart: Doing the Right Thing? or Just a PR Ploy? Read More »

If you telecommute, or work somewhere that employs telecommuters, you will want to be familiar with a recent decision from the New York Court of Appeals, New York State’s highest court, involving an employee based in Florida but working for a New York employer. The case, Allen v. Comm’r of Labor, is said to be …

New Telecommuting Case Making Waves Read More »

I recently received the following request from a freelance reporter who is working on a story for a national women’s magazine, and am posting it here in case that you would like to respond, or know anyone who might be willing to be interviewed for the article: Has anyone ever done anything for you that …

Reporter Seeks Workplace "Acts of Extraordinary Kindness" Read More »

I will be at the NELA Annual Convention, and will not be able to post between 6/24 and 7/1. I hope to see many of you in Vail!

As you probably know by now, today the U.S. Supreme Court issued the two opinions widely expected to determine the fate of affirmative action. Affirmative action proponents, after months of anxiety, were able to collectively breathe major sighs of relief with the issuance of the Court’s opinions. While the Court was split in the two …

Affirmative Action Lives: All You Need to Know About Gratz & Grutter Read More »

We have recently added to our site the feature “Say What?” which will include quotes about workplace issues and current events. As we scour the web for the most recent news, which we post in our Today’s News Headlines section, we will add the most noteworthy and interesting quotes to “say what?” on a regular …

Say What? Now Active Read More »

In a climate where large pay increases are increasingly hard to come by, guess what the main focus of negotiations between employees and employers these days is? You guessed, the cost of healthcare benefits. As insurance costs skyrocket, and employers seek to reduce these costs by reducing benefits and increasing employees share, employees and union …

These Days, It’s All About Healthcare Read More »