March 27, 2015
While most employees may know that California law follows “at-will” employment, they may not know exactly what that means for them and their job security. Generally speaking, at-will employment means that either you or your employer can terminate the employment at any time and for any reason. This means that your boss may decide to fire you on a whim simply because she did not like your outfit or was in a terrible mood that day. Similarly, you may quit your job and walk out with little to no legal consequences whenever you feel like it.
Like most rules, however, there are exceptions, and not...
February 17, 2015
In 2015, the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act gave qualified employees the right to accrue paid sick time for at least six days per year. However, what happens if an employee has a serious illness or medical condition and requires more than a couple of days off? Having an illness, injury, or sick family member is difficult on its own, but can be significantly harder if you worry about being fired for taking the necessary time off from work. For this reason, both federal and state laws protect certain employees by giving them the right to take leave from work for qualified reasons while...
June 26, 2014
In June of 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States made a historic decision in United States v. Windsor that invalidated the clause of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that defined marriage as a legal union between two members of the opposite sex. Though the federal government’s recognition of same-sex marriage was a huge milestone, the administration acknowledged that all of the applicable changes to federal programs and policies would take months, if not years, to implement. Specifically, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has been going through the literal thousands of federal laws that...
June 18, 2014
On June 16, 2014, White House officials announced President Obama’s intentions to draft an executive order banning discrimination against all employees of federal contractors and subcontractors on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. While LGBT employees in California are already protected by state laws against discrimination, this order would give additional rights to approximately 28 million employees across the country.
ENDA at a Standstill
Many people believe that Obama’s executive order is in response to the inaction Congress has taken regarding the Employment Non-Discrimin...
June 11, 2014
As many employers and human resources professionals are aware, large sporting events often coincide with spikes in employee absenteeism, decreased productivity, requests for time off, and disciplinary issues. This is particularly true for events that occur on an international stage, as they are usually scheduled and televised at local times, which may or may not occur during traditional work hours in the United States. As a result, employees may be tempted to take time off or stream these events at their desks. Even when the games or matches occur in American prime time, employees may come in...
June 6, 2014
Much has been made of the national minimum wage in the media as of late, with even President Obama calling for it to be raised to a rate that would be considered a “living wage.” While reasonable economists and policy makers can disagree on what a higher minimum wage will do the economy, one certainty is that minimum wage has failed to keep up with inflation. This means that minimum wage workers have less buying power than they had in the past; in fact, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), minimum wage is worth around $2.00 less that it was in 1968 when it was at its peak.
While t...
May 27, 2014
In early May, the Director of Public Health for the city of Pasadena, CA, Eric Walsh, was placed on temporary leave after the state office discovered a series of online videos in which he appeared giving religious sermons. Links to the videos were discovered after Pasadena City College announced that Walsh would be a commencement speaker.
Among the topics covered in his sermons are the following:
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Claims that homosexuality is a sin;
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Condemnation of popular culture, specifically that celebrities such as Beyonce, Jay Z, and Oprah were anti-Christs;
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That the Islamic prophet Muhammad...
May 20, 2014
In the 2014 draft of the National Football League (NFL), the St. Louis Rams made history by drafting the first openly gay athlete into the league. Michael Sam is a defensive end who won the SEC defensive player of the year award following his impressive performance at the University of Missouri. Sam publicly announced that he is gay in February of this year, causing people to wonder whether his sexuality would prevent him from being drafted on the professional level. Now, if Sam continues to impress in training camp, he may well earn a spot on the Rams roster, which could surprisingly help sha...
May 6, 2014
A medical resident, or resident physician, is a person who has graduated from medical school and is receiving more specialized, hands-on medical training in a hospital or other medical office. Residency usually lasts for three years, during which medical residents work notoriously long hours—sometimes up to 80 hours per week. Though residents put in long hours of work with patients, they often have significant responsibilities, and receive wages for their work, and, under many circumstances, are still considered “in training” or to be continuing their education. Therefore, many have raised the...
April 29, 2014
Previously on this blog, we discussed a lawsuit filed by several cheerleaders on the squad for the Oakland Raiders, known as the Raiderettes. That lawsuit alleges several different violations of state and federal labor laws, including withholding pay, failing to provide required break times, failing to pay the required minimum wage, and more. In recent weeks, cheerleaders from two more teams have come forward with lawsuits alleging similar violations.
The Ben-Gals
Alexa Brenneman is a member of the cheerleading squad for the Cincinnati Bengals, called the Ben-Gals. Brenneman filed a lawsuit ag...
September 8, 2015
September 8, 2015
June 22, 2015
June 10, 2015