Recently, a company in Wisconsin will be the first in the United States to put microchip implants in its employees. According to reports, over 50 employees at Three Square Market (32M) are expected to voluntarily have microchips implanted between their thumb and forefinger. The chips are radio-frequency identification chips (RFID) that will be used to perform common office tasks by waving their hand. According to Todd Westby, the implant is the size of a grain of rice.
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Updates To The New York State Paid Family Leave Law
The New York State Paid Family Leave Law requires that every New York State employer provide employees with up to 12 weeks of paid leave for the following:
- the birth, adoption, or placement of a new child
- to care for a family member with a serious health condition, or
- for a qualifying exigency arising from a family member’s military service.
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Predictive Scheduling For Fast Food Workers In New York
On May 30, 2017, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation to implement predictive scheduling for non-salaried fast food employees in New York City. This law requires that employers post a worker’s schedule 14 days in advance. If a schedule is changed with less than 14 days notice, an employer must pay a premium. This creates a private right of action for employees with his or her employer. The legislation will take effect in 180 days.
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Mayor de Blasio Passes Laws to Protect Fast Food and Retail Workers
Previously, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that his administration plans to implement greater protections to New York City’s 65,000 hourly fast food employees. Recently, the mayor signed several bills into law that affect the fast food industry, including one that protects workers from last-minute schedule changes. Additionally, Mayor de Blasio signed a bill that prohibits on-call scheduling for retail employees.
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Employees May Receive Paid Time Off in Lieu of Overtime Pay
Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a law that allows private-sector employers to allow employees to earn Paid Time Off (PTO) instead of overtime pay. H.R. 1180, the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2017, amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Under the act, an employee may receive “compensatory time off at a rate not less than one and one-half hours” for each hour of work that overtime pay is required. This means that, instead of receiving overtime pay in their next paycheck, an employee may earn PTO that they may use at a later date that is approved by the employer.
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U.S. Appeals Court Rules That LGBT Workers Are Protected From Bias
Recently, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled that a civil rights law from 1964 protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees from workplace discrimination. The 8-3 decision is the first ruling by the federal appeals court to recognize that law as protecting the rights of LGBT individuals in the workplace.
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The “Snowflake Test”: Is It Legal?
While it is not uncommon for employers to give assessment tests to potential job candidates, one U.S. company has caught the eye of the media for its unusual vetting tool. Kyle Reyes, Chief Executive Officer of The Silent Partner Marketing, a public relations firm located in Hilliard Mills, Connecticut, created the controversial “snowflake test” as a means of weeding out candidates who don’t fit the company’s culture – specifically, “overly sensitive, liberal candidates that are too easily offended.” However, despite the significant publicity and, in some cases, praise, others have fiercely criticized the assessment and called into question the ethics and legality of it.
Another Court Settlement in Unpaid Intern Case
Recently, American fashion designers and former child actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have moved to settle a lawsuit brought by a former intern. In September 2015, Shahista Lalani filed suit against the the sisters, known collectively as the Olsen twins, in New York Supreme Court, alleging that she worked 50-hour weeks without pay or college credit. Ms. Lalani filed a “proposed class action to join other unpaid interns” who had worked for the Olsen twins. She requested the court grant damages, minimum wage, and overtime. In 2012, Ms. Lalani worked for the clothing line “The Row,” a high-end fashion line owned by the Olsen twins.
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Discrimination Lawsuit Filed Against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
On January 11, 2017, a proposed class action discrimination lawsuit was filed against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) in Detroit, Michigan by the company’s former diversity manager Marlin G. Williams. In her discrimination suit, Ms. Williams alleges that FCA’s employee evaluation process impedes the success of African-American employees at a disproportionate rate. This lawsuit has the potential to affect many African-American managers who are subject to an evaluation process. Class-action status is the designation that can be approved by a federal judge if a plaintiff can prove numerous employees were also harmed in the same manner.
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Whistleblower Lawsuit Filed Against Mead Johnson Nutrition
Employers can face serious legal consequences when they retaliate against whistleblowers. A whistleblower is an employee who voices a complaint about a company’s misconduct, such as filing complaints about safety and health code violations, shareholder fraud, mismanagement of fiances or other illegal activity. Additionally, employees who make initial complaints, those that follow up on those concerns or give information to investigators are also considered whistleblowers. Whistleblowers are protected against retaliation by their employers and companies under both federal and state laws.
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