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Expanding the NFL’s Rooney Rule
In the recent wave of employment, no minority head coaches were hired by a National Football League (NFL) team, instead, many of the positions were filled by current coordinator positions. The NFL’s Rooney Rule, established in 2003, requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates for head coach and front office positions. The Rule was implemented … Continue reading
Featured Posts
by Ashlyn Marquez It seems that hundreds of concession stand employees of the Honda Center will have to wait until July 1st to find out if they have lost their jobs. This date marks the expiration of the Honda Center’s contract with Aramark and the starting date of the contract with Anaheim Area Management (“Management”). … Continue reading
by Allison Pearson The April 15 bombings at the Boston Marathon and subsequent manhunt for its perpetrators were national tragedies which left four dead and hundreds injured. While the unfortunate series of events may seem quite removed from labor law, the bomber’s status as immigrants may have a larger impact than expected in the already … Continue reading
by Ashley Tease Whistleblowers can temporarily rejoice as President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget proposes to protect people who disclose tax evasion to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. A sticking point for lawmakers and lawyers advocating on behalf of persons who report tax cheats to the IRS is the implementation of anti-retaliation protections. In the … Continue reading
By Shauna Agan Traditionally, labor unions have been known to help workers secure better wages, more benefits, better working conditions, and provide workers with support by representing its members in disputes with management. While this vision of labor unions still holds true today, most people fail to see the most important component of modern labor unions: … Continue reading
by Ryan Hatley “Do you like girls?” This was the question that potential National Football League (NFL) draft pick and Colorado tight end Nick Kasa was allegedly asked at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. After Kasa said he was asked about his sexual orientation, at least two other draft prospects came forward and … Continue reading
We are pleased to post these fantastic articles from our forthcoming book 3.1, which will be published to our Digital Commons site in the coming days. Read, enjoy, and make sure to check back soon for a link to the full book. Cultural Cognition Insights Into Judicial Decisionmaking In Employee Benefits Cases, by Paul M. … Continue reading
By Joanna Solloway CVS has recently implemented a new policy that requires employees to report health information including height, weight, body fat, blood pressure, and other health indicators. Those employees who refuse to submit such information will be fined $50/month. Such policies are not uncommon among employers looking to cut healthcare costs. Some companies already … Continue reading
By Jennifer Riso The Court of Arbitration of Sport recently ruled on the validity of human growth hormone (HGH) testing procedure. In deciding the appeal of Olympic cross-country skier Andrus Veerpalu, the court held that “procedural issues in the testing process invalidated any suspension levied” by the International Ski Federation. The National Football League Players … Continue reading
By Ezinwanyi Ukegbu On March 14, 2013, the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released a comprehensive report on the major obstacles that hinder equal employment opportunity for African Americans in the federal workforce. The agency’s internal African American work group produced this report after engaging in discussions and dialogues from 2010 to 2012 with EEOC … Continue reading
By Nicholas Devyatkin In a remarkable development, Cambodian workers have won back pay from Wal-Mart. Similar to their brethren in the United States, they have used direct protest action and public pressure, rather than traditional union collective bargaining, to force the hand of Wal-Mart. In September, 2012, The workers were told that the Kingsland apparel … Continue reading
By Jay Shannon Voss Lighting, a Nebraska based supplier of lighting products, announced on March 19th that it will settle a religious dicsrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The Commision’s suit alleged that company personnal refused to hire Edward Wolfe at its Tulsa location due to his religious beliefs, in … Continue reading
By Vince Bruni In his 2013 State of the Union Address, President Obama made news by calling for an increase to the federal minimum wage to $9 per hour. The issue has been one of contention for years. After the President’s speech, law makers, splitting mostly down party lines, both supported and opposed the idea. … Continue reading
By Heather Lothrop Currently, only New York State has legislation that requires domestic workers to be given meal breaks, paid for overtime, paid rest days, and protection against racial and sexual harassment. While these rights are expected in most professions, domestic workers often do not receive these protections from their employers. The employers are not … Continue reading
By Katrin Schulz On February 28, food service workers, community food activists, anti-hunger activists, and students joined in solidarity at the African American Civil War Memorial to demand real food and real jobs. The “Real Food, Real Jobs” march and rally, organized by UNITEDHERE! Local 23, was held to raise awareness of two interconnected issues … Continue reading
By Emily Kaiser Ongoing negotiations between major U.S. business and labor interests have reflected the polarizing nature of immigration reform, while also suggesting areas of potential compromise, as lawmakers work to draft legislation that can win support from both sides of the aisle. Representatives of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the A.F.L.-C.I.O. have held … Continue reading
By Eileen Lohmann On February 28, 2013, union leaders and elected officials in Miami Gardens, Florida, called for comprehensive immigration reform, expressing their support of the AFL-CIO’s immigration reform campaign. Chair of the AFL-CIO’s Immigration Committee and executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, María Elena Durazo explained the union movement’s immigration … Continue reading
by Christy Wu Recently, the Office of Management and Budget issued guidance to agencies to reduce costs in contract spending, signaling the reality that federal contractors must tighten their belts under sequestration. Yet contracting employers have been guided by federal advice which has not always been clear or consistent. The House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, chaired by … Continue reading
by John Marsella An amicus brief filed by 286 companies and business groups, including: Amazon, Google, Apple, Facebook, EBay, Nike, and many others, sheds light on employers’ view of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA was enacted in Congress in 1996 and signed by President Clinton. Section 3 of DOMA defines marriage as a … Continue reading
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) is meant to alleviate some of the “work, life” problems that arise every day in families across the country. FMLA is a federal law that requires employers to provide employees leave for qualified medical and family reasons, without risk to the employees job. The law sought … Continue reading
By Danielle Gonnella One of America’s largest retailers and private employers with 1.4 million employees, Wal-Mart, may face some troubles staffing its stores this holiday season. Wal-Mart workers are in the midst of record-setting “Black Friday” protests that could culminate in thousands of strikes over a nine-day span in areas such as Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Oklahoma, … Continue reading
By Basim Motiwala This past September, employees at Hostess Brands came together and overwhelmingly rejected a contract offer by the company that seeks to cut wages and benefits by as much as 32%. The contractual dispute led to the workers deciding to begin a strike on November 9, 2012 against the well-known maker of Wonder … Continue reading
By Michael C. Fallings Former NBA superstar and current business mogul, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, faces allegations of age discrimination and wrongful termination by his former employee, Lanita Thomas. Thomas, who worked almost eight years for Johnson as his personal flight attendant on his private jet, states that Johnson fired her after she was “15 minutes … Continue reading
By Lorna Lunney Less than a month after a major $3 million dollar gender discrimination suit filed against the NBA, the issue is now at the forefront of the NFL with a case filed against Detroit Lions Inc.. Kimberly Doverspike, 49, filed a complaint on October 31 in the Wayne Circuit Court with claims of … Continue reading
By Joanna Solloway In the midst of the presidential elections, AFL-CIO announced that workers at First Transit Region 3 overwhelmingly voted to form their own union with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 757. The honorable objective of this new union is to give a stronger voice to Region 3 in efforts to promote collective … Continue reading
By Allison Pearson Labor unions raise no shortage of controversies in the current American economy. Some commentators have postulated that labor unions helped President Obama secure a second term by tipping the polls in his favor in Ohio. At the same time, however, an August 2012 Gallup Poll shows that public of approval of labor … Continue reading
By Staffer Angela Bouliakis Currently, federal law prohibiting job discrimination includes: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin and the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from … Continue reading
Fitting into this election season’s discussion of women’s rights, the NBA is facing a three million dollar gender discrimination suit. Longtime NBA employee Brynn Cone is suing the National Basketball Association, Inc., NBA Entertainment, Inc., and NBA Properties, Inc., alleging she was underpaid, under-promoted, and ultimately forced out of the organization because of her gender, … Continue reading
By Jennifer Girard Boeing’s recently opened plant in North Charleston, South Carolina is being targeted by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) to unionize its workers. But IAM faces an uphill battle. The South Carolina plant, Boeing’s second U.S. final assembly line, opened in July 2011 amidst controversy. In March 2010, the … Continue reading
By Eileen Lohmann On November 6, the people of the United States will choose between two fundamentally different presidential candidates, and in an economic climate in which the rate of unemployment is 7.8 percent, each candidate has offered his own solution to create jobs and grow the economy. President Barack Obama’s plan to revitalize the … Continue reading
By Josh Tucker This November, Michigan voters will not only be electing its local and national representatives, but will also be voting on six different state proposals, five of them potential amendments to the Michigan Constitution. Proposal 2, specifically, would constitutionally recognize Michigan public and private employees’ right to organize into labor unions and bargain … Continue reading
written by Articles Editor Emily Kaiser The manufacturer under fire for a recent explosion at an Apple iPad factory now faces a new controversy: the revelation of minors working in a Chinese facility that manufactures components for Nintendo’s yet-to-be-released Wii U game console. Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology Group, the world’s largest supplier of technology products, found … Continue reading
In the past, Wal-Mart has been criticized for labor violations in their factories in China. Starting in October, Wal-Mart has started to have problems with workers here in the United States. Workers in the retail stores and in warehouses associated with Wal-Mart have gone on strike earlier this month to improve their rights as Wal-Mart … Continue reading
Maybe this election year will finally put a stake through the heart of efforts by corporations and extremist right-wing millionaires to silence the voice of California’s working families in the political arena. This year, it’s called Prop. 32 and it’s a near-clone of 2005’s Prop. 75 and 1998’s Prop. 226, which voters defeated by 53% to 47%. Both times, huge mobilizations by … Continue reading
Last Wednesday the NBA managed to shake up the sports world a full month before the start of the season when it released an outline of its new anti-flopping rules. According to the policy outline released by the NBA: “Flopping” will be defined as any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause … Continue reading
Today was supposed to be a magical day – the first day of the National Hockey League (“NHL”) season. Instead of watching the B’s take on the Flyers tonight, this hockey fan will be spending the evening watching the Birds and the Yanks battle it out in the Bronx, as the NHL is heading into … Continue reading
As the 22nd day of the lockout approached, the National Hockey League (NHL) announced the cancellation of the first two weeks, totaling 82 games, of the regular season. This is the second time in seven years that the NHL has cancelled games as a result of labor negotiations. This year, the lockout is the result … Continue reading
Just as the NFL just got the real officials back, the NHL has cancelled all of its preseason games. Hockey fans are groaning around North America as talks between the owners and the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) make little progress toward ending the lockout. The league locked the players out on September 16, … Continue reading
During an eleventh hour vote, California governor Jerry Brown vetoed legislation which would have protected approximately 200,000 domestic workers in California by providing for overtime, the right to breaks for adequate sleep, greater access to worker’s compensation, the right to prepare one’s own meals by having access to an employer’s kitchen, the right to obtain … Continue reading
A little over a year ago, members of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (“BCTGM”), and company, American Crystal Sugar entered into a union contract dispute. This dispute resulted in the BCTGM members “overwhelmingly reject[ing] the company’s final offer, which included significant increases to workers’ health care costs and major changes to job security, … Continue reading
I am neither a Packers nor a Seahawks fan, so the Monday night game that was the turning point in labor negotiations between the National Football League (“NFL”) and the referees (“refs”) didn’t cause me to lose any sleep. (The Redskins can lose all on their own, thank you). What did, was the refusal of … Continue reading
