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Employment Law

Must we give FMLA leave to caretaker uncle?

07/16/2012
Q. One of our employees has apparently taken in his sis­­ter’s young child because his sister is undergoing cancer treatment. He wants to take FMLA leave to help the child adjust. Must we provide the leave?

Must we grant FMLA leave for employee to provide care to her niece?

07/13/2012

Q. An employee has requested FMLA leave to care for her 5-year-old niece who is recovering from heart surgery. The employee’s sister and her daughter live with the employee. Is leave under these circumstances protected under the FMLA?

School’s out: Know federal, state restrictions on youth employment

07/13/2012
Summertime is when employers can capitalize on an influx of eager school-age workers looking for seasonal jobs. Summer jobs can be great for both young workers and employers, but you should be mindful of federal and state child labor laws.

Minnesota Senate braces for Brodkorb’s sex bias lawsuit

07/13/2012
Michael Brodkorb, the once-powerful Minnesota Senate staffer fired following allegations he had a sexual affair with former Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, has filed a sex discrimination complaint with the EEOC. So far, the state Senate has racked up $46,000 in legal bills contesting Brodkorb’s suit.

Class actions could get boost as Franken puts up his Dukes

07/13/2012
On the June 20 anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 2011 Wal-Mart v. Dukes decision, Sen. Al Franken, D–Minn., introduced the Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act, designed to make it easier for employees to file class-action lawsuits.

Benedictine Health Services settles accommodations suit

07/13/2012
Benedictine Health Services at Innsbruck has agreed to settle a disability suit lodged by the EEOC. Two former employees initially complained that Benedictine required them to be free of medical restrictions before they could return to work from medical leave unless the restrictions were due to an on-the-job injury.

Unemployment may depend on seeking accommodations

07/13/2012
Minnesota employees can still collect unemployment benefits if they quit their jobs because of medical problems. However, before resigning and applying for benefits, they must ask for accommodations.

Ensure you can justify gender pay disparities

07/13/2012

There may be many reasons em­­ployees end up earning different salaries for similar work. Pay disparities often grow gradually, over time. That can mean big trouble under the Equal Pay Act. If you aren’t tracking all pay changes and noting the reason, you may end up liable for sex discrimination.

Note if worker drops ADA accommodations ball

07/13/2012

Employers and employees are supposed to engage in the interactive accommodations process once an employee indicates she may be disabled. If she doesn’t cooperate, document it. You can use that later to show she’s to blame for not receiving an accommodation.

OfficeMax faces EEOC suit for Sarasota retaliation

07/12/2012
The manager of a Sarasota-area OfficeMax made life so miserable for an employee who filed a racial discrimination claim that he was forced to resign, according to the EEOC. Now it’s suing on the man’s behalf.