Here’s a story of great personal interest to me that I hope will affect you as well. I (Paula Brantner, WF’s Program Director) work from a home office in Kansas City, Missouri, and live less than two miles from some of the areas hit most hard in Sunday’s (5/4) deadly tornadoes. (See Tornadoes Rank Among …
Unless you are a state employee in one of 19 states that officially observe the day, you may not be aware that today, May 7, is “State Employee Recognition Day.” (I just learned about the event myself.). It comes at a good time, as state legislatures nationwide are forced to address record state deficits, and …
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the tradition, today, May 1, or May Day, is also known as International Workers Day. While the celebration of this day is much more significant in other countries than the U.S. (our September Labor Day embodies some of the May Day spirit and traditions), it is nonetheless …
Rather than tackling a whole new subject today, I thought I’d take a little time to bring readers up to date on several previous postings. 4/18/03: Will They Ever Learn? Just maybe they have learned a little bit….because Don Carty is no longer running American Airlines. Shortly after the last post, the brouhaha fully erupted, …
In the face of increasing evidence that workers are more stressed out than ever (see 4/21/03 blog entry), one time-honored way that workers cope is to take vacations. And whether it’s a “mental-health” day or a response to true illness, sometimes workers just need to take sick days. However, at the time these coping mechanisms …
On March 27, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced its long-awaited proposal to change the Fair Labor Standards Act, the federal wage and hour law, which purports to overhaul outdated overtime standards. (See DOL Proposal Summary.) That is a laudable goal, to be sure–there’s more or less universal consensus that the overtime laws are the …
Last week, the San Francisco Chronicle fired one of their reporters, Henry Norr, a technology reporter for the newspaper. That alone is not particularly newsworthy, especially since the reason given by the Chronicle for doing so was that Norr falsified his timesheet. However, Norr has claimed the real reason he was terminated was for speaking …
Have you noticed more kids than usual at your workplace today? That is probably because today is “Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day.” The annual event has been sponsored by the Ms. Foundation since 1993; however, this year, there’s a bit of a new twist. While the event was formerly known as “Take …
By now, almost everyone has heard of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)–the mysterious illness which has now infected thousands and killed hundreds worldwide. With no known cure and little known about its transmission methods, the emergence of SARS has caused a great deal of alarm, which is no longer confined to those who live or …
In today’s changing workplace, where an increasing number of ownership and management structures exist, the question of “who is an employee?” entitled to protection under numerous statutes designed to protect workers can be a difficult one to answer. In a ruling issued today, the U.S. Supreme Court attempted to clarify which individuals in the workplace …
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.
