No Pay for Donning Clothes

Companies defending lawsuits by union workers seeking pay for the time it takes to change into protective work clothes may be rethinking their legal strategies. That’s the conclusion of a lawyer for a poultry company that recently won a motion to dismiss such a lawsuit before the 11th U.S. Circuit…

Jul 5, 2007 8:32 PM CDT

Time-Out Time for No-Vacation Nation?

When is a vacation not a vacation? When non-exempt employees paid by the hour are hovering over their BlackBerries or taking questions from the office by cell phone, for one thing. So, as the 4th of July holiday looms, one law firm recommends, well-advised employers should give some thought to…

Jul 3, 2007 10:26 PM CDT

New China Labor Rules to be Enforced?

Long reputed as a haven for employers who engage in labor practices considered abusive in many countries, China appears to be on the verge of enforcing stringent new standards–particularly against foreign companies. Legislation enacted Friday that takes effect Jan. 1, 2008 imposes, among other new standards, a requirement that employment…

Jul 2, 2007 9:36 PM CDT

Israel Prez’s Plea Deal Not a Done Deal

A controversial agreement by the president of Israel to plead guilty to sexual harassment and other charges and resign from office to avoid a potential rape prosecution apparently isn’t a done deal. Amidst widespread criticism of the plea agreement and three petitions against it, the Israel Supreme Court is requiring…

Jul 2, 2007 8:33 PM CDT

Fired Lawyer’s ERISA Claim Tossed

A federal judge has dismissed a claim filed by a former Holland & Knight partner who claims he was improperly fired. John Weir claims the firm fired him at age 55 partly to avoid paying retirement benefits under an ERISA plan. But U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain of Manhattan…

Jul 2, 2007 1:55 PM CDT

Israel Prez Admits Sex Offenses, Resigns

In a controversial plea bargain denounced by women’s rights activists, the president of Israel has agreed to step down from office immediately and plead guilty to sexual harassment and abuse of authority charges. Accused of twice raping a female employee, among other offenses, during an earlier stint as tourism minister,…

Jun 29, 2007 12:13 AM CDT

LexisNexis Sues Ex-Executive

LexisNexis is relying on a forensics examination of a former executive’s computer in a lawsuit alleging he violated a noncompete agreement. The information services company says it learned through filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that Paul Colangelo, formerly vice president of sales for its Information Analytics Group, went…

Jun 28, 2007 1:56 PM CDT

EEOC Sues Merrill Lynch

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission contends in a lawsuit that Merrill Lynch & Co. discriminated against an employee because he is Muslim and Iranian. The suit filed in Manhattan federal court says Majid Borumand lost a promotion and finally his job, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. He was…

Jun 27, 2007 2:24 PM CDT

New Immigration Bill Making Progress; Is ‘Clay Pigeon’ Really an Emu?

An effort to pass landmark immigration legislation failed in the last Congress, and there is no guarantee that it will pass this time around either. But some forward progress is being made on a new version of a bill that would provide millions of now-illegal immigrants currently in the U.S.…

Jun 26, 2007 11:44 PM CDT

‘Pepgate’ Pits Prosecutor Against Police

Only five months into his new job, the top prosecutor in rural Knox County, Illinois, several hundred miles southwest of Chicago, is already at odds with local authorities. Accused in a federal lawsuit of sexually harassing female employees, State’s Attorney John Pepmeyer fired several lawyers in his office who supported…

Jun 25, 2007 6:39 PM CDT

Ex-Employees Sued in Client Disputes

A California investment-advice firm has sued former sales people and two companies that hired them, claiming they used proprietary information to steal clients. Fisher Investments claims the employees violated contracts by taking client contact information to new jobs, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. The employees respond that the…

Jun 20, 2007 4:08 PM CDT

Employment Firm Expands With Merger

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart is on a growing spree. The 365-lawyer labor and employment firm has gained 19 attorneys by merging with Lewis Fisher Henderson & Claxton, the National Law Journal reports. The move gives the national firm new offices in Memphis, Tenn., and Jackson, Miss. Ogletree, Deakins…

Jun 18, 2007 1:11 PM CDT

Obesity Claims Likely to Rise

Disability claims based on obesity are likely to increase as American waistlines continue to grow. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and disability lawyers say obesity claims are an emerging area, according to Joan Biskupic of USA Today. The agency considers only morbid obesity—defined as weight 100 pounds higher than the…

Jun 13, 2007 3:53 PM CDT

Courts Differ on Wal-Mart Suits

Courts in two states yesterday differed on workers’ quests for class action status in lawsuits against Wal-Mart.

A Missouri appeals court ruled that a class action suit could proceed after a trial judge revises definitions for subclasses, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.).

A New York court refused to certify a class in a similar suit, saying the claims should be tried individually.

Jun 13, 2007 2:37 PM CDT

Kennedy Pushes OT Law After Ruling

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., says he will work to amend a federal labor law to protect the wages of home-health aides.

Kennedy said a U.S. Supreme Court ruling barring overtime for most home-care workers highlights “a significant gap in the protections of our laws.”

Jun 12, 2007 4:14 PM CDT