The Bush Administration is acting to make it easier for businesses to work employees longer hours without paying overtime compensation. While the proposed changes are being marketed as employee-friendly efforts to increase “flexibility” and benefit low-income workers, the reality is far different. Instead of trying to further weaken the rules, we should be strengthening what …
Yesterday (6/12), the House of Representatives passed the Class Action Fairness Act, a bill designed to move most class actions from state to federal court, where, it is perceived, judges will be less receptive to the rights of plaintiffs. (See Washington Post article.) The vote in the House was 253-170, generally but not exclusively along …
This week marks the 40th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, landmark legislation which help pave the way for increased gender equality in the workplace. On June 10, 1963, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act (EPA) into law, at a time when full-time working women were paid on average 59 cents to the dollar …
Regular readers of this blog know that one of the subjects that gets covered on a regular basis is the taxation of damage awards. So bear with me as I write about the latest court case to tackle this issue…because it understands the magnitude of the problem and is considerably more funny than your average …
Finally, a Judge that Gets the Tax Issue…With Humor, Even Read More »
In a rare unanimous decision (which is even more rare when you consider that it’s an employee-friendly decision written by Justice Clarence Thomas), the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled in favor of the employee’s position in Desert Palace, Inc. v. Costa. While employee advocates and attorneys are generally applauding this victory because of its modifications …
Yesterday (6/5), the House of Representatives pulled from consideration the Family Time Flexibility Act (HR 1119). The move signaled that Republicans in the House did not have enough votes secured in favor of the measure to guarantee passage. (See New York Times article.) This was extremely good news, both because it signaled that there are …
Comp Time Bill Pulled From the House, But Still Poses a Threat Read More »
With such a small staff here at Workplace Fairness (only two of us), sometimes our regular work gets delayed when things get busy. I apologize for the lack of postings this week, but it’s because we’ve been focused on a number of workplace developments and new additions to our site. We’re working on lots of …
Posting Schedule Delayed Due to New Developments Read More »
It seems like every time you turn around, there’s a new story about a corporate pay scandal. After the Enron, WorldCom, and other recent corporate debacles, we’ve become much more sensitive to the disparity between a corporation’s upper echelon and its workers, and the outrageousness of some pay schemes which appear only to reward mismanagement …
Corporate Pay Watch Feature Added to Workplace Fairness Site Read More »
This week, an Associated Press article reported that more and more private businesses are hiring workplace chaplains to counsel employees. Ironically, just two days before, it was reported that a group of California firefighters are suing their employer because the chaplains went too far in imposing their religion (Christian) on firefighters, allegedly violating the separation …
Workplace Chaplains: Important Source of Comfort or Likely Source for Discrimination? Read More »
The U.S. Supreme Court, and in particular, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, handed employee advocates an unexpected victory today, in the case of Nevada Department of Human Resources v. Hibbs. (See USA Today article.) Although the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was expected by some to be yet another civil rights casualty in the …
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.
