• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Terminations

Don’t Rely on ‘Same-Actor’ Defense

08/01/2002

Q. If an employee claims she was discriminated against by the same supervisor who hired and fired her, does the employer have a defense to the discrimination claim? —S.D., New Jersey

Preach secular management: Train supervisors to shun religious bias

08/01/2002
When a city-run youth program hired Cheryl Campos as a counselor, it promised her a $10,000 bonus for support-group work as well as a promotion to assistant director within six months. …

Stick to facts with mental fitness tests

07/01/2002
Don Jackson, a county utility worker, got quite a shock one night when a psychologist called to confirm an appointment in two days. Jackson hadn’t made the appointment, his employer had. …

Don’t stack the deck in arbitration

07/01/2002
Daniel Murray, a full-time union organizer, signed a mandatory arbitration agreement as a condition of employment. The pact said arbitrators would be chosen from a list provided by his employer and …

EEOC issues more guidance on anti-Muslim bias

07/01/2002
Between Sept. 11, 2001, and May 7, 2002, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received 497 job-bias complaints on the basis of Muslim religion. That’s compared with 193 complaints over …

Be Wary of Firing Overpaid Employee

07/01/2002

Q. Is it legal to terminate an employee because he makes a high salary? —J.L., Arizona

SSA sending more ‘no match’ letters; know how to respond

06/01/2002
In light of Sept. 11, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has increased its efforts to find workers whose names don’t match their Social Security numbers. And their effort could require action …

References: Stick to Facts

06/01/2002

Q. An employer asked us for job verification on an employee we fired. It has a written consent form from the worker allowing the query. Can I release any and all information regarding the ex-employee’s history with us? —R.F., Colorado

Third-party retaliation will stand up in court

06/01/2002
Gregory Fogleman claimed that the age-old parable about a son being punished for the sins of his father played out in his workplace. As a result, Gregory’s employer could pay more …

Religious bias: No special exceptions to union pact

06/01/2002
Trucker David Virts refused to work with women during “sleeper runs” because of his religious beliefs. After his first refusal, he was warned. After his second refusal, the company fired him. …