Who would think a YouTube video entitled “Thanks Safeway” could lead to troubles? It sounds like a positive, grateful and potentially boring video. However in this case it may not be any of those things, since it led to the posters suspension. The Video According to an NBCChicago.com story, Steve Yamamoto, a former employee of… 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.
Temp Work May Be More Dangerous Than You Thought
The economy is slowly returning, but even though more jobs are being created and unemployment is dropping, there are still many seeking work that will allow them to support themselves and their families. A recent report on a Univision program looked at the situation, and often plight, of job seekers. The program looked at the… Read More
Railroad Back On Track To Offer Health Benefits To Same-Sex Employees
In early December, the country’s largest rail carriers announced they would begin providing health benefits to their employees and their same-sex spouses starting January 1. This announcement was released even though the lawsuit, which was filed just one day earlier in Seattle’s District Court, is still ongoing. In the lawsuit, two employees of BNSF Railway… Read More
Tipping on Twitter
From online shopping to reviews directing customers to or away from a business, the internet and social media are becoming more important to businesses every day. Argo Tea, an international tea and coffee seller whose online store sells directly through Amazon, decided to take social media to a new level to the benefit of its… Read More
Gender Gap Closing, But Is It Permanent?
Near the end of 2013 around the middle of December, a new study was released that showed positive signs for those worried about the gender gap in employment. KOMOnews.com reported on the study, its implications, and potential concerns. According to the study, gender equality efforts are making significant advances, but there is clearly a lot… Read More
"But during the recruitment and hiring process I was promised…"
Hopefully very few of us know the feeling of arriving for our first day on the job only to find that things at our new workplace are not exactly how we expected them to be. After all, we know what we were promised and this isn’t it! Why are we reporting to Bob when we… Read More
Oregon Employees Lead Starbucks Class Action Suit
Oregon Employees Lead Starbucks Class Action Suit Three former Starbucks employees in Oregon recently filed a class action lawsuit in Oregon federal court against the coffee giant, claiming they made less than minimum wage because of the way the company dealt with tips on paystubs. According to the complaint, employees divide tips proportionally to the… Read More
Will the US Supreme Court Clarify Whether Its Decision in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes Applies to All Class Actions (Including Wage and Hour Class Actions)?
That’s certainly what the Retail Litigation Center (RLC) and a group of business associations are hoping. This group recently filed a “friend of the court” (amicus curiae) brief with the US Supreme Court urging the Court to hear an appeal of the Seventh Circuit’s decision in RBS Citizens, N.A. v. Ross. The group explained its… Read More
Perception of Homosexuality is Not a Protected Class under Washington's Law Against Discrimination (WLAD)
A recent case from Eastern Washington grappled with this interesting issue: whether a person can establish a claim of hostile work environment when he is harassed based on the perception that he is something that he is in fact not. In the case of Davis v. Fred’s Appliance, Inc., Division III of the Washington Court… Read More
Did the Oregon Court of Appeals Just Make it Easier for Plaintiffs to Plead and Prove Common-Law Wrongful Discharge Claims?
Perhaps. Buried deep, deep, and we mean deep in a lengthy decision resolving a procedurally convoluted case, the Court seemed to open the door a bit for plaintiffs seeking to prove claims of common-law wrongful discharge. As we’ve previously discussed, one way to succeed on such a claim is for the plaintiff to prove, among… Read More