I wrote about the now-infamous case where Brett Kavanaugh dissented from an opinion upholding a fine by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) against SeaWorld after a killer whale lived up to its name by killing a trainer. As a result of th... More »
The Fifth Circuit recently ruled that the fast-food chain In-N-Out Burger violated the National Labor Relations Act when it prohibited employees from wearing “fight for 15” buttons at work. Amanda Healey wore a quarter-sized button in April of 2015, and a co... More »
In 2010, a trainer at SeaWorld drowned when the killer whale she was working with during a performance “grabbed her and pulled her off the platform into the pool, refusing to release her.” The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigated ... More »
A New York Times piece covers the impact of drug tests (and drugs) on the economy. In particular, it profiles various manufacturing companies in the Midwest, revealing the challenges they face filling jobs due to the proportion of applicants who fail drug tes... More »
This January, Ohio adopted a firearm regulation commonly referred to as a parking lot law. The law’s core provision prevents both private and public employers from enforcing workplace policies that prohibit employees with concealed carry permits from keeping ... More »
In the digitally connected workplace, it’s not easy to be “off the clock.” Email — coupled with the widespread use of smartphones — has made many employees available at a moment’s notice. In the United States, one in three full-time workers check their work ... More »
In April, the insurance company Aetna announced that it would pay their employees to sleep. Specifically, for every 20 consecutive nights that workers sleep 7 or more hours, workers are paid $25, up to $300 per year. As part of Aetna’s broader initiative to c... More »
This is the second part of a 2-post examination of driver safety in both the taxi and ridesharing spheres. Part 1, which contains an extensive list of unsettling incidents that have threatened the safety of ridesharing drivers, makes it pretty clear that incr... More »
This is the first part of a 2-part post. Part 1 will highlight the heightened safety concerns that come along with being a taxi driver and examine anecdotal evidence raising similar concerns for workers who drive for ridesharing companies. Part 2 will examin... More »
In Tyson Foods v. Bouaphakeo, decided on March 22nd, the Supreme Court held favorably for thousands of workers in an opinion that limits the sweeping Wal-Mart Stores v. Dukes decision of 2011. As noted recently on this blog, courts have become increasingly ... More »
In April of this year, District Court Judge Irene C. Berger sentenced Donald Blankenship, the former CEO of Massey Energy Company (Massey) to one year in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of $250,000 for conspiring to violate mine safety standards. Massey ... More »
A girl walks into a job interview. After engaging in some small talk with her prospective employer, she is asked to undress and perform a sexual act right then and there. Outrageously inappropriate? Yes. Illegal sexual harassment within the modeling indust... More »
July 25th, 2017