More Jurisdictions Are Adopting Unpaid Interns Laws

Legal news reports that New York State has now become the fourth jurisdiction to make it illegal for employers to “discriminate, harass, or retaliate or otherwise engage in unlawful employment practices,” against unpaid interns and those seeking jobs as unpaid interns. If you are considering taking an internship or have questions about the laws concerning…

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New Pregnancy Discrimination Guidelines Issued

The federal government has just issued new, expanded, guidelines concerning pregnant workers and workplace discrimination. The new rules provide that any workplace discrimination or harassment against pregnant workers constitutes illegal sex discrimination. The guidelines were issued in response to what the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission described as persistent “overt pregnancy discrimination as well as the…

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Costly Wage And Hour Mistakes

A recent article looked at the top wage and hour mistakes employers make when paying employees. These mistakes may constitute costly Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) violation and entitle you to back wages and damages. If you believe that your employer has been committing one of these errors and has unfairly deprived you of wages,…

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Supreme Court to Hear Pregnancy Discrimination Case

The Supreme Court has just decided to hear argument concerning an significant question affecting many women across the nation: under what circumstances should an employer be required to provide “reasonable accommodations” to a pregnant employee? Generally, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) set forth that employers…

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Firing Employee Day After Complaining Of Sexual Harassment May Be Grounds For Retaliation

Often, workers fear complaining about work place harassment because they think they may be fired or face retaliatory conduct. The good news is that federal and state anti-discrimination laws have been written to protect employees from just that type of conduct. In fact – retaliation claims may be easier to prove than the underlying discrimination…

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President Obama Prepares To Issue Executive Order Barring Sexual Orientation Discrimination

Earlier this week President Obama issued a statement that he plans to issue an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Such an order would be a significant step in granting necessary protections to lesbian, gay and transgender employee. Last year the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA),…

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Employee or Volunteer?

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) protects employees in several different ways such as providing that workers be paid minimum wage and non-exempt employees be paid overtime at a rate of one and one-half times their standard rate of pay for each hour worked in excess of 40 in any one work week. However, receiving…

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