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Employment Law

Strippers at golf fundraiser land Dem Party boss in the rough

09/01/2007

Lucas County Democratic Party Chairman John Irish is in hot water after holding a golf fundraiser that featured female strippers. Employees of Scarlett’s Cabaret in Toledo and Club Diamonds in Oregon staffed the drink carts, and at least one woman raised her top and dropped her shorts for a group of golfers …

Cleveland Clinic hit with sex assault whistle-Blower suit

09/01/2007

Scott Graham, a surgical assistant in the heart unit of the renowned Cleveland Clinic, filed suit against the clinic—plus affiliated Lakewood and Fairview hospitals—for retaliating against him after he reported alleged sexual assaults by head surgeon Dr. Baldev Sekhon …

State agency to learn whether ‘Preselection’ is discrimination

09/01/2007

An energy specialist with the Ohio Department of Development filed a race-discrimination complaint with
the Civil Rights Division, arguing the department passed him over for promotions to two positions because he is black. The department acknowledged it had created the positions specifically with two other men in mind to keep them from leaving …

Employee swaps RVs for jail cell after embezzlement scheme

09/01/2007

An office manager of Campers Choice Inc., an RV dealer in Swanton Township, received 17 months in prison for stealing almost $100,000 over a four-year period, steadily ruining the company’s finances. The manager fraudulently collected $80,000 in cash and checks written to herself and padded her hours for another $16,000 …

Religious objection to union dues not limited to a few

09/01/2007

An Ohio public employee collective-bargaining law exemption that allows workers to forgo paying union dues because of religious beliefs has been applied too narrowly, the U.S. District Court, Southern District, has decided …

Deferred-Comp plans must comply with new rules starting Jan. 1

09/01/2007

The government hasn’t required much in the way of compliance when it comes to special executive retirement perks and bonuses. That changed in April, when Congress enacted a slew of IRS-enforced regulations known as 409A. Bring your deferred-comp plans into compliance now, or your executives could face stiff tax penalties.

Labor Dept. draws battle lines in the great FMLA fight

09/01/2007

Chances are your employees are happier with the 14-year-old FMLA than you are.  A new U.S. Labor Department report says employees would like to expand the law to create longer leaves and paid leaves. But employers argue that the law’s vague wording (and employees’ ability to play games with FMLA) create legal and productivity nightmares. Here are the main problems employers have with the FMLA, according to Labor’s report …

Save on tuition aid by managing colleges like vendors

09/01/2007

Tuition-aid budgets currently account for 10% to 12% of overall training costs, says Jeanne Meister, a corporate learning consultant and former vice president of market development at Accenture Learning. “That (increase) could grow out of proportion unless employers put the brakes on and manage tuition assistance,” says Meister. “It will be a big issue in five years.”  Here are six practical tips to help you manage tuition-assistance programs like your vendor relationships …

Will pregnancy become a ‘Super-Protected’ class in Ohio?

09/01/2007

Employees seeking relief from on-the-job discrimination on the basis of their race, sex, age, national origin or religion can typically pursue their claims under federal law, Ohio law (Ohio Revised Code Section 4112.02) or both. In most cases, it doesn’t matter whether the employee sues under state or federal law—the court will apply the same cases and reasoning. The same is not true in pregnancy discrimination cases. That’s because the Ohio Civil Rights Commission interprets pregnancy discrimination quite differently than does its federal counterpart, the EEOC …

Nondisabled workers earn ADA protection, too

09/01/2007

Q. I know the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gives disabled employees special rights. But I read that the law also extends to employees who aren’t disabled. How is that so? —N.L. …