Labor & Employment Law Update

Recently, a Federal Appellate Court held that there was no adverse action under Title VII for an employee who was suspended with pay during an investigation.  Jones v. Se. Penn. Transp. Auth., — F.3d—, No. 14-3814 (3rd Cir. Aug. 12, 2015).

The underlying facts are straight forward and typical of an employment discrimination suit:

• The supervisor suspected an employee was guilty of wage theft.
• The supervisor suspended the employee with pay.
• The employee informed the company’s EEO/Human Resources Department that she intended to file a complaint against the supervisor; ...

In the opening sentence of its recent decision, Southern New England Telephone Co. v. NLRB, the federal D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals stated: “Common sense sometimes matters in resolving legal disputes.” If only that were always true in labor disputes.

The legal dispute in this matter centered on the fact that the company prohibited publicly visible employees—those who had direct contact with customers or the public—from wearing union t-shirts that said “Inmate” on the front and “Prisoner of AT$T” on the back. These shirts were part of a campaign by the union ...

In a recent decision, Central States Southeast and Southwest Areas, Health & Welfare and Pension Funds, 362 NLRB No. 155 (Aug. 4, 2015), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) held that an employee’s posting of a written warning at his cubicle was protected, concerted activity. The employee, Frederick Allen Moss, received the written warning from his supervisor for refusing to stop using his electronic tablet during a work meeting. In response, Moss laminated a copy of it and posted it next to his computer so that it was visible to anyone who entered his cubicle or stood at the ...

On July 22, 2015, OSHA issued an underground construction company in Texas six willful and nine serious citations with fines totaling $423,900, stemming from a trench collapse in February of 2015. While the citations and fine amount are not unusual under the new regime, the press release issued by OSHA following the issuance of the citations goes to great lengths to embarrass and harass the company, even identifying the company’s workers compensation insurer by name—presumably, in an attempt to try and prevent the company from obtaining insurance in the future. See the press ...

Green Cards May No Longer Always Contain a “Signature”

Employers should be aware that some Green Cards (“permanent resident cards”) now have an image stating “Signature Waived” on the front and back of the card where a signature would normally be located instead of the permanent resident’s actual signature. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has indicated that these cards are issued to people entering the U.S. for the first time as lawful permanent residents after obtaining their immigrant visa abroad from a U.S. Embassy or consulate. This ...

Although not prevalent, and seemingly counterintuitive, some federal courts have recently addressed the issue of subordinate sexual harassment of their supervisors. This conundrum is especially interesting as employer liability is usually determined by the status of the harasser, including a subordinate, co-worker, or supervisor of the victim. Under Illinois law there is strict liability for employers when the harasser is a supervisor of the victim – i.e., there are no defenses available to an employer if sexual harassment is shown.

Under both state and federal law ...

The Seventh Circuit recently affirmed summary judgment for the employer in Miller v. St. Joseph County, a race discrimination case, and in doing so applied what may prove to be a streamlined standard for determining whether employment discrimination plaintiffs can survive summary judgment.

The plaintiff in Miller was a long-time employee of the county’s police department who sought several promotions which he did not receive. He alleged, among other things, that the promotion denials, a temporary assignment he disliked (but which did not change his compensation ...

In the past, dress codes were straightforward. Depending on the nature of the business, they required a “neat, clean uniform” or perhaps “professional attire” and banned tube tops and flip flops. But as visible body art becomes more mainstream, many employers find themselves struggling to decide whether and where to draw the lines when drafting a personal appearance policy that works for their business.

As a starting point, body art itself is not a legally protected characteristic so bans are generally permissible. However, employers should be mindful that some tattoos ...

On July 15, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued an Administrator’s Interpretation addressing the distinction between employees and independent contractors in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The DOL has aggressively pursued potential misclassifications of employees as independent contractors in recent years. Indicative of that aggressive approach, the interpretation states that most workers are employees under the FLSA. While that statement is walked-back somewhat in other parts of the interpretation, businesses that rely heavily on independent ...

In late June, the appellate court for the first district reiterated that employment lasting less than two years is inadequate consideration to support enforcement of a post-employment restrictive covenant. In McInnis v. OAG Motorcycle Ventures, a motorcycle salesman filed a lawsuit seeking to have his non-competition agreement declared invalid because he resigned 18 months after signing the agreement. The employer counterclaimed seeking an injunction to enforce the restrictive covenant. The salesman won.

The court came to this conclusion after examining the 2013 first ...