Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Firefighters in Reverse Discrimination Case
(June 29, 2009)
The U.S. Supreme Court has released its decision in Ricci v. DeStefano, the high-profile discrimination case involving firefighters employed by the city of New Haven, Connecticut. In a 5-4 decision, the Court reversed the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in favor of New Haven. Read on
Employment Non-Discrimination Act Introduced in Congress
(June 25, 2009)
U.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2009 (ENDA) yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives. If passed, ENDA would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Read on
Senate Finance Committee Maps Routes to Health Care Reform
(June 25, 2009)
Health care industry leaders -- including some who opposed the Clinton administration’s 1993 health care reform efforts -- are now pledging to rein in the rate at which costs increase. President Barack Obama did a one-hour interview and town-hall style discussion about health care reform on prime time network TV this week. Lawmakers promise quick action. Bits and pieces of information on this topic emerge almost nonstop these days. During the new few weeks, we’ll look at different aspects of the health care reform proposals in Congress and how they could potentially affect employers. Read on
Obama, DHS 2010 Budgets Hint at Immigration Priorities
(June 25, 2009)
The White House and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently released their proposed budgets for fiscal year (FY) 2010. Both budgets contain discussions of immigration-related priorities, offering a glimpse of what the new administration may choose to pursue this year. Even though he is obviously facing several domestic economic challenges, President Barack Obama has signaled that he still supports comprehensive immigration reform and may soon decide to pursue that goal. Read on
Supreme Court Ruling Makes Proving Age Discrimination More Difficult
(June 25, 2009)
The U.S. Supreme Court held June 18 in Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc., that employees who sue their employers for age discrimination must prove that age was the cause of an employment decision, even if they have some evidence that age was a factor in the decision. This 5-4 decision makes it harder for employees to prove age discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Under the ADEA, an employer can’t take an adverse employment action against an employee because of his age. Read on
Sotomayor’s Employment Law Record on Second Circuit
(June 25, 2009)
We’ve looked at Sonia Sotomayor’s personal background. We’ve looked at her labor and employment law record as a federal district court judge. Now we look at her labor and employment law record in her current position, a judge on the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. There are at least 15 officially reported or published cases for which Sotomayor has authored an opinion dealing with labor and employment law issues. This doesn’t include what may be the most controversial decision in which she was involved, Ricci v. DeStafano, 530 F.3d 87 (2d Cir. 2008). Read on
What's Your Odd HR duty?
(June 25, 2009)
HR is practiced differently from organization to organization. In smaller companies, its not unusual for HR (and other positions) to wear multiple hats. So what is your odd HR function? What is that task you inherited at some point that seems incongruent with everything else you do. I have a WHOLE list of them. Read on
Business Writing: Effective Techniques for HR and Supervisors
(June 19, 2009)
Does your writing style wear blue jeans? Casual attire may fly at the office, but a poorly written e-mail can adversely affect how you, your bosses, and your company are viewed. Off-the-cuff comments and bad grammar in any business correspondence can diminish your ability to lead and can even be used as ammunition for a lawsuit. Learn how to master the written word and produce written documentation that will hold up in court with the FREE HR Hero White Paper, Business Writing: Effective Techniques for HR and Supervisors. Read on
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