There was a lot of employment law action last week. The U.S. Supreme Court held that the Fair
Labor Standards Act does
not require employers to pay for time spent going through security checks. The National Labor Relations Board, in a
split decision, issued an order allowing employees to use employer-owed
email systems for protected concerted activity during non-work time. In addition, the Board announced
its approval of the so-called “quickie” or “ambush” union election rule. We
anticipate judicial scrutiny of the Board’s actions.
In other developments:
Discrimination
-
Blogging4jobs explained what not to do when an employee makes a reasonable accommodation request.
-
The EEOC filed suit against the Blinded Veterans Association for age discrimination.
-
Zillow fired back in the sexual harassment lawsuit that alleges the workplace is like an adult frat house.
Technology
-
Facebook announced a plan to allow users to remove photos that could embarrass them with employers.
-
SHRM’s We Know Next blog offered some questions that talent analytics may help HR answer.
-
SmartRecruiters made its 2015 HR Tech predictions.
-
RecruitingBlogs advocated for electronic personnel files.
Wage and Hour
-
Walmart announced it will no longer pay employees only minimum wage.
-
The U.S. Department of Labor announced a settlement which will pay $4.5 million in back wages to 5,310 employees of the oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The FLSA violations addressed by the settlement primarily related to failure to pay overtime.
-
The New York Times argued that employers will have to raise wages.
Posted by: Kate Bischoff
