The Los Angeles Times’ recently reported on Del Monte’s $1.2 million discrimination settlement. Del Monte is a major grower of fruits and vegetables; hires employees to harvest the products; and then ships the products to stores for our enjoyment and consumption. Unfortunately, Del Monte along with a number of labor contractors had a growing problem… Read More
Employment Blog
Here you can find the most recent employment law news and commentary on cases around the country. If you need assistance with employment law, don't hesitate to call us.
Text Messages Make Headlines in Harassment Lawsuit
A Chicago news source reports on a former doorman for Sidetrack, a popular bar in Chicago, suing the bar and a couple of its managers for sexual and religious harassment. Sexual harassment lawsuits at bars, sadly, are not uncommon or generally newsworthy unless they contain an interesting twist. In this case, the bar is a… Read More
Amazon Teams Up With USPS For Sunday Deliveries
Amazon has been in the headlines a lot lately. First, it announced its intent to hire nearly 70,000 holiday employees, many of whom could become full-time after the holiday season. Now Amazon has made a deal with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to provide its customers with Sunday deliveries. Initially the Sunday delivery service… Read More
15% Of Young People Not Working Or Going To School
When people think about a better economic future, they generally think about more education or working their way to higher paying or better employment. There are anecdotes for both paths. On the one hand there are the well-educated people who get the better jobs or the well-trained people who can command better hourly wages. On… Read More
Avoiding Holiday Party Pitfalls
The holiday season tends to bring out the festive spirit in people and in companies. People throw Christmas parties, New Year’s Eve parties; some even throw Thanksgiving and Winter Solstice parties. But, when companies decide to throw similar parties the logistics and concerns frequently seem far more complicated. Huffington Post recently posted a top 10… Read More
Wal-Mart and McDonald's Fuel the Living Wage Debate Again (Part 2)
In Part 1 of this article, we looked at the recent controversy surrounding a holiday food drive Wal-mart held for its own underpaid employees. The food drive for needy employees seemed to acknowledge that the retail giant does not pay its workers a living wage. The term living wage is different from minimum wage. Minimum… Read More
Seattle Program and Starbucks Helping Vets Get Jobs
Finding a job can be hard, particularly in this economy. Finding a job after spending years in the military can be even harder, especially if your training is in an area that does not transfer to civilian life easily or obviously. Laws can prohibit discrimination against returning veterans, but sometimes additional programs and assistance is… Read More
SeaTac Voters Approve $15 Minimum Wage
After numerous fast food worker strikes, debates on the nation’s minimum wage, and stories about companies making as much in profits as their employees receive in government aid, it looks like SeaTac will be raising its minimum wage. Latest results show SeaTac voters narrowly passing Proposition 1 in this week’s election. If the results hold,… Read More
Son Experiences Retaliation for Father's Actions
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in the workplace based on a person’s race, among other factors. However, the law goes a step further to protect employees who oppose, report, complain of, or participate in an investigation regarding workplace discrimination. The law prohibits an employer from taking any adverse employment… Read More
Google And The Treasure Island Tech Barge
Companies, especially tech companies like Microsoft, Google, and Apple, are very protective of their trade secrets and control of their inventions. Google, for instance, has floated the idea of internet balloons drifting over Africa to provide broadband access to rural areas and it has been testing the idea in California and New Zealand. Google has… Read More