Labor & Employment

Movement to let the formerly incarcerated cut hair and drive taxis is gaining ground

Rosemarie Abruzzese feared losing her cosmetology license and her job in 2017 after the Pennsylvania Board of Cosmetology said her past felony drug conviction made her a threat to public safety.

Jul 10, 2018 4:28 PM CDT

Lawsuit to claw back union dues filed after Janus decision

Seven California teachers have filed a class action lawsuit to win back paid union fees in light of last month's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that nonconsenting public-sector employees cannot be compelled to pay union dues.

Jul 6, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Indiana’s attorney general is accused of groping lawmaker under her clothes at bar party

An Indiana lawmaker and three legislative staffers have accused the state’s attorney general, Curtis Hill, of inappropriately touching them at an end-of-the-legislative-session party at a bar in March.

Jul 3, 2018 10:21 AM CDT

Judge tosses wrongful termination claim by woman forced to resign after flipping off Trump motorcade

A Virginia judge dismissed a wrongful termination claim on Friday by a woman who said her employer, a government contractor, violated public policy by forcing her resignation after she gave the finger to the motorcade of President Donald Trump.

Jul 2, 2018 9:10 AM CDT

Supreme Court rules mandatory union dues violate free speech rights of public employees

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Wednesday that requiring public employees to pay union dues for collective bargaining violates their free speech rights under the First Amendment.

Jun 27, 2018 9:09 AM CDT

Suit says Jones Day’s ‘black box’ compensation system hides pay bias

A former Jones Day partner in California has filed a lawsuit claiming the firm’s secretive compensation system and subjective performance reviews are designed to hide pay discrimination against women.

Jun 20, 2018 7:05 AM CDT

Senate Judiciary Committee chair Grassley suggests judiciary needs an inspector general

Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley said Wednesday that it may be time for an independent inspector general to handle misconduct complaints against the federal judiciary. Speaking at a committee hearing, Grassley said nearly every federal agency has a watchdog that can guard against misconduct, report the National Law Journal…

Jun 15, 2018 7:05 AM CDT

Dentons employee’s suit says she was treated like a sexual object, complaints went unheeded

A business development specialist at Dentons claims in a lawsuit that her direct supervisor propositioned her using vulgar language, tried to draw her into sexual conversations when he called her at late hours, and touched her legs and buttocks without her consent. Plaintiff Krunali Parekh says in the suit that…

Jun 12, 2018 10:40 AM CDT

Federal judges have a responsibility to report colleagues’ harassing behavior, report says

Inappropriate conduct is not pervasive in the federal judiciary, but it also not limited to “a few isolated incidents,” according to a report submitted to the Judicial Conference of the United States.

Jun 4, 2018 4:04 PM CDT

Chemerinsky: Arbitration agreements ruling is a significant loss for workers

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision May 21 in Epic Systems v. Lewis is the latest 5-4 ruling in favor of the enforcement of arbitration clauses. In an opinion by Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, the court ruled that an employer may lawfully require its employees to agree, as a condition of employment, to take all employment-related disputes to arbitration on an individual basis and to waive their right to participate in a class action suit or class arbitration.

Jun 4, 2018 7:15 AM CDT

Time’s up: Legal, judicial systems slow to adapt to sexual harassment and assault issues

Employment lawyers say decreasing sexual harassment at work requires awareness that behavior may make colleagues uncomfortable and willingness to stop the conduct without resentment.

Jun 1, 2018 12:20 AM CDT

Why 3 BigLaw firms ended use of mandatory arbitration clauses

In some situations, confidentiality of arbitration can be a problem, as it makes corroborating claims more difficult. The Me Too movement has prompted some law firms to review human resources policies.

Jun 1, 2018 12:15 AM CDT

Allegations added to suit on how Facebook targeting tools helped advertisers exclude older workers

Plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit have expanded the scope of their action, alleging that Facebook and other major employers violated federal and state anti-age bias laws by excluding older job seekers from seeing online employment ads.

May 31, 2018 5:04 PM CDT

Does Roseanne Barr have a valid legal claim for cancellation of her show?

The First Amendment restricts the government from interfering with free speech rights, but it doesn’t cover job-related consequences for private employees--or even star comedians.

May 31, 2018 11:22 AM CDT

Lawsuit claims Texas criminal appeals judge fired secretary for criticizing GOP on Facebook

A former secretary for a judge on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals claims she was fired because of Facebook posts that criticized President Donald Trump as well as other Republican politicians. Olga Zuniga claims her First Amendment rights were violated when she was fired by Judge Kevin Yeary, who…

May 24, 2018 12:00 PM CDT