Archive for the 'Alabama' Category

Being Replaced by Computer Program Isn’t Age Discrimination

October 6, 2011 at 9:00 pm by: Alabama Employment Law Letter

Who knows? In 20 years, there might be a robot writing these articles; we’ve faced that reality. Eventually, we may all be phased out by machines, programs, and metallic entities, the likes of which we’ve yet to even imagine.
As the world has become more automated and efficient, we have all witnessed downsizing and have subconsciously [...]

Relying on Luck to Avoid Employee Legal Claims Is Dangerous and Expensive

May 5, 2011 at 9:00 pm by: Alabama Employment Law Letter

Here’s a case that will probably make employers feel great about their own compliance efforts. You know who you are: You train your new hires on all company policies, you have sparkling and oft-reviewed nondiscrimination, nonharassment, and nonretaliation policies, you conduct supervisory training early and often, and your folks know how to recognize potentially harassing [...]

Top 10 Potential Perils of Employment Policies

January 27, 2011 at 9:00 pm by: Alabama Employment Law Letter

Almost every employer has policies. The question is, where do they come from? They come from HR, right? But where does HR get them? They must get them from somewhere. And what if you don’t have an HR department? Then someone must have to — gasp — write them. We’re talking about your employment policies [...]

Eleventh Circuit Decision Is Immigration Bombshell for Employer

May 27, 2010 at 9:00 pm by: Alabama Employment Law Letter

Immigration reform appears to have stalled yet again, but the legal implications for employers have not. Back in 2005 and again in 2006 there was a novel case in which legal employees used a law designed to target organized crime to sue their employer over its use of illegal employees. The case bounced around the [...]

Health Care Reform and Workers’ Compensation

April 22, 2010 at 9:24 pm by: Alabama Employment Law Letter

by Donald M. Harrison
Will health care reform affect workers’ comp? Even though the term “workers’ compensation” isn’t mentioned in the bill, I anticipate both direct and indirect effects on workers’ comp. Most of the consequences are unknown at this time and may not be known for several years, but two direct results are already clear:

Medical Marijuana Compassionate Use Laws Among 2010 Legislative Actions

April 15, 2010 at 9:00 pm by: Employers State Law Alert

by Lorraine Yeomans
The 2010 state legislative sessions have kicked off across the nation, and one of the first pieces of legislation to be signed into law this year was a bill legalizing the use of medical marijuana.
On January 18, as one of his last acts before leaving office, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine signed the [...]

Teaching Supervisors to Listen Is Key

July 1, 2009 at 2:49 pm by: Alabama Employment Law Letter

Training your workforce from top to bottom is important so that everyone has a clear understanding of your company’s commitment to providing a fair and productive environment for all employees.
And while it’s true that we can explain the various employment laws and reiterate that they require compliance from all of your employees (and that compliance [...]

Recent Opinion Letters from the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division

May 15, 2009 at 1:55 pm by: Alabama Employment Law Letter

Alexander Passantino’s advice to the lovelorn may not be the makings of the next Sex and the City show, but his pen holds serious sway with hipsters of the payroll specialist in crowd. Alex is the acting administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD). As the grand oracle of [...]

Attacking Motherhood and Apple Pie: Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace

May 9, 2009 at 2:49 pm by: Alabama Employment Law Letter

by Al Vreeland
What could be more noxious to the American soul than an assault on motherhood? We all have a mother (though some might question the genetic origin of lawyers). Many of us return to her apron strings when we need reassurance that we haven’t become fat and stupid (or at least completely so). And [...]

Definitions of Common Workers Compensation Terms and Jargon

April 24, 2009 at 3:21 pm by: Alabama Employment Law Letter

by Don Harrison
Dealing with workers’ compensation administrators (or claims adjusters or attorneys) can be as frustrating as trying to decode a teenager’s text messages — KWIM (know what I mean)? This week, we thought we’d provide you a cheat sheet to help you make sense of the workers’ comp world.
Audio Conference: Workers’ Comp Claims: [...]