Ver la versión en español aquí We imagine that among those former employees who sue their employers, there are many who dream of hearing the words “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury . . .“ wishing for a pot of gold to follow. Obviously, the thought of hearing those words in a courtroom may make … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí The Florida Information Protection Act went into effect on July 1. The law imposes notification requirements on any business that acquires, maintains, stores or uses personal information when that business suffers a breach of security, i.e., unauthorized access of data in electronic form containing personal information. The statute’s definition … Continue Reading
As recently reported by The New York Times, non-compete agreements are popping-up in a wide array of businesses to protect varied business interests. As businesses have come to recognize, non-competes are not limited to protection against disclosure of a “top secret” formula, process, or technological invention. A properly drafted non-compete agreement may have much wider … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí The explosion in popularity of social media has, in my opinion, been a blessing and a curse for businesses. On the one hand, social media helps businesses market products and services, and reach-out to current and potential customers, with relative ease and little cost. On the other hand, social … Continue Reading
An Ohio Federal District Court recently ruled that Verizon Wireless could be sued for reading a former employee’s personal emails on a company-issued device. During her employment, Verizon issued Sandi Lazetle a Blackberry which she used for company email. According to Sandi, she was told that she also could use the Blackberry for personal email, … Continue Reading
A New Jersey federal court ruled this week that “private” Facebook wall posts are covered by the Stored Communications Act (“SCA”). The SCA is a federal law that, among other things, prohibits unauthorized access of communications stored on the internet. Deborah Ehling, a former Monmouth-Ocean Hospital Service Corp. nurse, posted comments on her Facebook wall … Continue Reading
The next filing deadline for EEO-1 Reports is Monday, September 20, 2013. The “EEO-1 Report” is the Employer Information Report that certain employers are required to annually file with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The form asks the employer to provide a count of its current employees by job category and then by … Continue Reading
Employers, union and non-union alike, have been spinning their wheels every time the NLRB comes out with a new case, general counsel memorandum or advice memorandum slamming a generally accepted employment policy. This past year, we have seen the NLRB take on social media policies, collective action waivers, at-will disclaimers and confidentiality rules. This time, … Continue Reading
Whether you have in-house or outside recruiters, make clear what they can and cannot say to your employees. On March 11, 2013, an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) for the National Labor Relations Board made the recommendation that Aerotek, Inc., an employee staffing company, violated the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”) when its recruiters told employees … Continue Reading
The revised regulations for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) require that records or certifications submitted for FMLA leave that contain genetic information and family medical history are subject to the confidentiality requirements of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA). Click here for a link to GINA’s confidentiality regulations (29 C.F.R. §1635.9). … Continue Reading
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Florida, ruled on Monday that Broward County’s wellness program, which required employees to undergo a biometric screening and fill out a health assessment questionnaire, did not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). The ADA generally prohibits medical examinations and disability-related inquiries unless job-related and … Continue Reading
This summer, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) highlighted its position that confidentiality rules and at-will employment disclaimers routinely promulgated by employers may violate the federal labor law. The NLRB held that a generalized directive to employees not to discuss matters under investigation with co-workers interfered with the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”). The NLRB … Continue Reading
The National Labor Relations Board Acting General Counsel Lafe E. Solomon issued his third report on employees’ social media use on May 30. We previously blogged about the first report (see NLRB Issues Guidance on Social Media Policies) and several other NLRB cases involving social media. This recent report focuses on the lawfulness of several … Continue Reading
The new Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) forms issued by the Department of Labor (“DOL”) have one change: the expiration date is now February 28, 2015. The forms can be found here . The forms do not make reference to the amendments to military family leave or include the safe harbor language from the Genetic … Continue Reading
As discussed in an earlier post (NLRB OKs Employee Bad-Mouthing on Social Media), the National Labor Relations Board is not just in the business of regulating union activity. According to law, two or more employees (regardless of union affiliation) are protected in acting together to improve the conditions of their employment, including wages and hours. This is … Continue Reading
