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BT Currents - Hot Topics in Employment Law

30 Nov Bad Moon On The Rise: California’s New Fair Pay Act

Employment Discrimination | Scott Witlin

  Decrying a gender wage gap, the California Legislature has enacted amendments to the state’s pay equity law that could potentially rewrite how pay discrimination cases are litigated in the Golden State. Prior law was modeled after the Federal Equal Pay Act, wherein an employer could look at the incumbents holding the same positions to assess whether men and women are paid equally, taking into account skill and experience. That regime proved too straight forward for Californians.   In its place the legislature has enacted…

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25 Nov New Year, New Laws: Expanding California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act

Employment Discrimination | BT Currents

  Effective as of Jan. 1, 2016, an employee’s request for an accommodation for a disability or for religious reasons will be considered to be “protected activity” for a retaliation claim under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) – further muddying the employment waters in California.   Assembly Bill 987, which was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown on July 16, amends the language of the FEHA to prohibit an employer from retaliating or otherwise discriminating against a person for requesting accommodation of…

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25 Nov Holiday Pay and the Family Medical Leave Act

Employee Health Issues | BT Currents

  As we enter into the holiday season, questions often arise regarding an employer’s obligation to pay an employee on FMLA leave for holidays. Surprisingly, the answer is relatively straightforward: treat that employee in the same manner you would treat an employee on a non-FMLA leave. According to the FMLA Regulations:   [a]n employee’s entitlement to benefits other than group health benefits during a period of FMLA leave (e.g., holiday pay) is determined by the employer’s policy for providing such benefits when the employee is…

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24 Nov The Viral Spiral: How An Employee’s Facebook Post Dragged Her Employer Into A Social Media Controversy

Social Media and Technology | BT Currents

  Instances of deplorable racism have sparked recent protests on the University of Missouri’s campus. Not surprisingly, these protests have received a significant amount of media attention. On Nov. 13, 2015, however, the world’s attention shifted to the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris. We have since been inundated with 24-hour news coverage on developments related to the war on terror.   Following the Paris attacks, the Washington Times released a story explaining how University of Missouri protestors had taken to Twitter to express disappointment with…

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GINA Compliance

24 Nov It’s Time to Give Your Employee Wellness Programs a Check-Up to Ensure Compliance with GINA

EEOC, Employment Discrimination | Koryn McHone

  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently provided employers with some food for thought in considering their employee wellness programs in relation to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). In Ortiz v. City of San Antonio Fire Dep’t. (SAFD), the collective bargaining unit allowed for a mandatory wellness program for all SAFD employees. As part of SAFD’s mandatory requirements, all uniformed employees were required to submit to a “job-related medical evaluation,” which included a physical exam; blood and urine tests; and testing…

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