Priority visa services resume after 5 month suspension (UK)
In March this year, we wrote about the abrupt suspension of UKVI priority services for new applications made from outside the UK here. Today, after a full 5 months, UKVI has reinstated “priority services” for new work visa applications. The suspension was UKVI’s response to the large influx of applications under the Ukraine Family Scheme. […]
Nasty language may be protected concerted activity, court says: Employment & Labor Insider
An employee’s use of bad language doesn’t necessarily mean that the employer can take action against him. Even if the language arguably violates the employer’s no-harassment policy. If the bad language concerns terms and conditions of employment, it may be protected by the Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. If so, and if […]
Keeping it real – the quest for reason in whistleblowing cases (UK)
In earlier posts on this blog you will find a handful of cases which consider the distinction between the fact of a protected whistle-blowing disclosure and the manner of it. Accepted wisdom, thanks in part to the unimprovable words of then Mr Justice Underhill in Martin -v-Devonshires Solicitors here is that an employer can in […]
Employment Law in the Metaverse (US)
The metaverse is poised to reshape the way we live and work. Employment law in real life is vexing enough, with US employers required to navigate the complex federal, state and local laws and regulations that impact the employment relationship. Now some employers and businesses are making the leap into the virtual world, where employment […]
In Watson case, NFL falls victim to its own law of the shop: Employment & Labor Insider
On August 1, retired federal judge Sue L. Robinson, acting as arbitrator pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement between the National Football League and the National Football League Players Association, suspended Cleveland Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson for six games for “sexual assault (as defined by the NFL).” You can read the 16-page decision here. Although […]
Expanded Limitations Period and Individual Liability for Employers Facing Labor Commissioner Hearings
An employee in California has two primary options to pursue a claim for the enforcement of minimum wage and overtime pay rights. The employee may seek judicial relief by filing an ordinary civil action. Alternatively, the employee can initiate an administrative action with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). In Elsie Seviour-Iloff v. LaPaille, […]
Are You Sitting Down for This? California Court of Appeal Provides Further Guidance on Suitable Seating Claims
The California Court of Appeal in Meda v. AutoZone, Inc. recently reversed a trial court’s finding that an employer demonstrated it “provided” seats to its employees as a matter of law under California’s suitable seating requirement. This rule stems from subdivision 14(A) of the Wage Orders,[1] which provides that California employers must provide suitable seats to […]
What Employers Need to Know in a Post-Dobbs Landscape
On June 24, 2022, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the United States Supreme Court overturned both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and held the access to abortion is not a right protected by the United States Constitution. This article analyzes several employment law issues employers may face following the Dobbs […]
Second-guessing the advice columns: Workplace bathrooms!: Employment & Labor Insider
Last week, Karla Miller — the workplace advice columnist of The Washington Post — had a fascinating letter with this problem: The letter writer is the only female working on a floor with about 50 men. There are three single-use restrooms on their floor: One for men only, and two unisex. There is no women-only restroom, […]
UK: protection for ‘beliefs’ may cover a limited right to express a belief, but not misgendering vulnerable clients
Two cases this month illustrate the challenges employers face in relation to employees expressing or manifesting beliefs on sensitive topics which have the potential to upset or cause offence to colleagues. Previous case law has established that the potential for offence will not prevent philosophical beliefs from being protected within the Equality Act, with the […]
