Is the “Stop WOKE” Act dead in Florida? Not yet, but in Honeyfund.com, Inc., et al v. Desantis, et al, one federal district court has certainly put the brakes on it. On March 29, 2022, we informed everyone about Florida HB 7, also known as Florida’s “Stop WOKE” bill, and how it would
Discrimination
Everybody’s Working on the Weekend (Well, Not Everybody) — Fifth Circuit Holds Differing Weekend Attendance Policy Not a Final Adverse Employment Action
An employer establishes a weekend work policy where only male employees can take both days off, and female employees can only take one weekend day off. Sounds like gender discrimination maybe? Well, in Hamilton, et al. v. Dallas County, dba Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, the Fifth Circuit recently declined to go that far — yet. The judges…
You Have Mail (Better Read It): District Court Finds EEOC 90-Day Deadline Starts When Email Received
If a letter from the EEOC is in your virtual mailbox but you never open it, have you received it? Most of us are familiar with the requirement that a claimant who files an EEOC charge has 90 days to file a lawsuit after receiving what is usually required a “right-to-sue” letter from the agency. …
The Transfer-mers: D.C. Circuit Rules That Job Transfers Covered by Title VII Without Higher Bar
Let’s say you are tired of your current position and want to try something new with the same employer. You apply for a job transfer, and you are turned down. Then you find out that other people were able to make the move more easily. If those other people are of a different race or sex or other…
All on Board: Mississippi Joins the Nation in Prohibiting Pay Discrimination Based on Gender
For the past three years, Mississippi remained the only state in the country that did not have a bill prohibiting pay discrimination based on gender. This all changed on April 20, 2022, when Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 770, also known as the “Mississippi Equal Pay for Equal Work Act,” into law.
Legislators Continue to Crack Down on Confidentiality
Guaranteed confidentiality with regard to employee disputes may be becoming a thing of the past if the current tide of legislation continues. As we blogged about several weeks ago, Congress just banned arbitration agreements for sexual harassment claims. Even more stringent than that new federal legislation, Washington and California have both recently passed a “Silenced…
Blessed Are the Caregivers: EEOC Provides Further Guidance on People Caring for COVID-19 Sufferers
This week, the EEOC issued new guidance regarding pandemic-related caregiver discrimination. The EEOC assumes (probably rightly) that caregiving obligations are more likely to fall on women so discrimination against caregivers often looks like sex discrimination. While the updated guidance is specific to COVID-19, is it packed full of good practices to follow regardless of the…
Plaintiff Gets Second Serve: 2nd Circuit Clarifies Joint Employer Test and Allows Security Guard to Amend Complaint
There has been a lot of discussion over the last few years about the joint employer test for liability under employment statutes. Whether it be Uber drivers in California or the back and forth over the Trump administration’s change of DOL rules, it can be hard to follow. This week, the Second Circuit Court of…
What More Can We Ask About COVID-19? EEOC Chimes In on If It Is a Disability Under the ADA
For almost two years now, employers have been tackling the issues surrounding COVID-19. Not surprisingly most questions centered on COVID-19-specific leave, OSHA reporting requirements, and vaccines. Now, the EEOC has chimed in on something that employers may not have yet considered: When does an employee’s COVID-19 become a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act?…
Suspension with Pay Gives Way to Court Day on Race Claim? Nay, Nay, Says 11th Circuit
If you suspend an employee with pay, is that an adverse employment action? Funny you should ask as the Eleventh Circuit issued an opinion this week on this very subject. In this case, a former congressman sued his former employer, Legal Services Alabama, claiming that his suspension with pay during a pending investigation was race-based…