Your confidential employment file contains everything an identity thief would need: your name, address, Social Security number, tax forms, and maybe even bank account numbers or medical information. Because employers have so much of their employees’ personal information, it is important that they keep it safe. However, a recent Seattle Times article reports that a… Read More
Posts Categorized In: Employment Policies
Recent Wage Violations in Oregon Restaurants
The United States Department of Labor recently investigated 110 restaurants across the Portland area for possible violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Restaurants across the nation are notorious for wage and hour violations, and the Portland district director of the Labor Department, Jeffrey Genkos, has stated that restaurants are regularly on the department’s… Read More
Cherry Pie Leads to Loss of Job
A city employee in Bridgeport, Washington was fired on account of a $1.69 cherry pie, according to an article published by the Wenatchee World. David Greer, who was an employee in Bridgeport’s public works department for 21 years, is now filing a wrongful termination lawsuit against the city. Greer was picking up snacks for his… Read More
Oregon Allows For Medical Marijuana Use … But Do Employers?
In 1998, Oregon became one of the first states to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes (eighteen states, as well as the District of Columbia, now have similar laws). While Oregon does not have any legal marijuana dispensaries, an individual who suffers from certain diseases or disabilities can grow, possess, and use marijuana… Read More
Oregon Military Department Facing Sexual Harassment Scandal
Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management has been fielding one crisis after another in recent weeks. Given that the Office’s stated role is to help Oregon’s state and local leaders prepare for and respond to natural disasters and other emergencies, it is ironic that the messes currently facing the department are all internal, manmade, personnel concerns…. Read More
Washington Employer Liability Standards Altered by Supreme Court
When can an employer be liable for damages in a hostile work environment or harassment lawsuit filed by an employee? One important issue is whether the employee was harassed by a coworker or by a supervisor. The Ninth Circuit, which includes the state of Washington, had decided that a supervisor is someone who has authority… Read More
Is Wage Theft Rampant At Fast Food Workplaces?
In early June fast food workers across the country, including in Seattle, staged a 24-hour strike at some of the most popular chains in the area: McDonalds, Subway, Taco Bell, and more. As we previously discussed, the workers had many general concerns about employment practices. One of the general themes of those participating in the… Read More
Investigators Find Restaurants Systematically Violating Wage and Hour Laws
In two of our recent blog posts(“Oregon Restaurant Industry Fights Limits on Tip Sharing” and”Tip Sharing Litigation Brings into Question the Limits of the Labor Department’s Authority”), we discussed how the restaurant industry in the Pacific Northwest had brought suit in Oregon’s district court against a Labor Department rule limiting tip-sharing arrangements among tipped and… Read More
Seattle City Council Passes "Jobs Assistance Bill" – Criminal Background Checks on Applications
Most economic indicators suggest that we are working our way out of the recession that struck several years ago. Yet, even though the general signs indicate things are improving, all Washington residents appreciate that it still remains very difficult to both get a new job and keep a current one. Unemployment is still higher than… Read More
Blueberry Farmers Claim the Federal Government Denied Them Due Process in a Labor Investigation
Generally, one of the major functions of the United States Department of Labor is to ensure that employers act fairly toward their employees – paying them fair wages, not overworking them, and protecting them from harassment, among other things. According to the Oregon Farm Bureau, however, the Labor Department has overstepped its authority in investigating… Read More