On September 18, 1997, New York Governor Pataki signed into law amendments to the State Labor Law which significantly enhance the statutory penalties for underpayment or non-payment of wages. The new law, entitled the Unpaid...
Jan 01, 1996
General Employment Issues
California Supreme Court Recognizes New Cause of Action for Wrongful Demotion
California employers are all too familiar with claims of wrongful discharge by terminated employees who allege that they were party to an implied contract with the employer, under which they could not be discharged without...
In the September 1994 issue of this Newsletter, we reported that the federal courts are in disagreement over whether supervisors may be held personally liable for violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other...
Jan 01, 1996
Employment Discrimination
“Reasonable Accommodation” Under ADA Clarified by Second Circuit
A critical feature of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 et seq., is its requirement that employers not only refrain from discrimination against disabled employees but, in addition,...
Jan 01, 1996
Labor Relations
NLRB Invalidates Employee Participation Programs: GOP Responds with Teamwork for Employees and Managers Act
Since the 1980s, over 80 percent of large U.S. companies have implemented some form of employee participation program designed to improve workplace policies and develop and effect operational changes advantageous to both...
The New York State Labor Law includes what is known as a “Whistleblowers’ Statute.” That law (Labor Law § 740) prohibits a private employer from retaliating against an employee who discloses or threatens to...
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (“WARN”) generally requires that an employer provide 60 days’ advance notice of a plant closing or mass layoff. 29 U.S.C. § 2101 et seq. (1988). The...
Jul 01, 1995
Employment Discrimination
“Overqualified” is Not Necessarily A Proxy for Age Discrimination
The U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that when an employer makes a decision on the basis of a criterion that is often correlated with age – such as high salary or length of service – as opposed to age itself, the...
Jul 01, 1995
Labor Relations
Union Solicitation Rights–Bulletin Boards
Employers faced with the prospect of union-organizing efforts often ask about the means unions may use to solicit the support of employees, as well as the employer’s right to limit those activities. During union...
Jul 01, 1995
General Employment Issues
Employer Alert: Implied Renewal of Expired Employment Agreement
Employers often assume that when an employee continues to be employed after the expiration of his or her employment agreement, the employee automatically becomes an employee at will, whose employment is terminable at any...