tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50464826403333242282024-02-20T20:22:28.291-06:00THE EMPLOYEE WITH THE DRAGON TATTOOCurrent Developments in Employment Law & Human ResourcesMark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-62643998946345345322024-01-25T16:26:00.005-06:002024-01-25T16:26:48.168-06:00THE NEW YEAR MAY BRING A BROADER SCOPE TO TITLE VII AND GREATER POTENTIAL LIABILITY TO EMPLOYERS<p> <span style="font-family: Inter, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 23px;">Does Title VII of the Civil Rights Act only apply when workplace discrimination is an “ultimate employment decision” or does any disparate treatment based on an employee's sex, race or other protected class violate the law, even if there is no tangible harm?</span></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Inter, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 23px; line-height: 38px; margin: 25px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">That is the question the United States Supreme Court will be answering in 2024, after having heard oral arguments in <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://casetext.com/case/muldrow-v-city-of-st-louis-4" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #0047bb; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s, background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, Missouri</a> </em></span>in December 2023.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Inter, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 23px; line-height: 38px; margin: 25px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">If the Court ultimately holds that Plaintiffs are not required to show an “ultimate employment decision,” employers can expect an increase of claims that would not previously have survived to trial. Such a decision would also broaden the types of conduct that could expose employers to liability under Title VII.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Inter, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 23px; line-height: 38px; margin: 25px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">The Facts of the Case</span></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Inter, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 23px; line-height: 38px; margin: 25px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">The case being considered concerns Jatonya Muldrow, a police sergeant with the City of St. Louis. She claimed she was discriminated against based on her sex when she was transferred out of a police intelligence unit, even though the transfer did not result in any changes to her pay, benefits, rank, or working conditions. A federal District Court ruled against Muldrow, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the dismissal, holding that a transfer was not a materially adverse employment decision under Title VII. “Materially adverse” or “ultimate employment” decisions typically involve employment actions such as terminations, demotions, failure to hire or a failure to promote.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Inter, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 23px; line-height: 38px; margin: 25px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">However, following the Eighth Circuit appellate ruling against Muldrow, two other Circuit Courts held that Title VII has no such requirement, most notably in the <em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><a href="https://www.phelps.com/insights/fifth-circuit-makes-it-easier-for-employees-to-assert-title-vii-claims-against-employers.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #0047bb; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s, background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">en banc Fifth Circuit decision</a></span>,</em> which involved scheduling policies for female detention officers. The Fifth Circuit ruled that the phrase “ultimate employment decision” was too limited, appears nowhere in the plain language of Title VII, and ignores the broad remedial scope of the law. The Supreme Court’s expected ruling in <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Muldrow</em> will resolve this circuit split.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Inter, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 23px; line-height: 38px; margin: 25px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">At oral arguments on Dec. 6, counsel for Muldrow argued that establishing discrimination as to a term, condition, or privilege of requirement is all that Title VII requires and there is no requirement to show the materiality or severity of the harms caused. The City of St. Louis responded that Congress did not intend Title VII to address trivial issues where there was no “significant material objective harm.” The questions posed by the Justices seemed to suggest a majority are favorable to Muldrow’s position.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Inter, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 23px; line-height: 38px; margin: 25px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">A Supreme Court ruling that eliminates the “ultimate employment decision” requirement would be expected to increase the number of workplace discrimination claims filed with the <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #0047bb; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s, background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">Equal Employment Opportunity Commission</a></span> and a corresponding increase in civil litigation against employers. While waiting for the Supreme Court to issue its decision, employers would be well advised to update their anti-discrimination policies and training. </p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Inter, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 23px; line-height: 38px; margin: 25px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">Please contact <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><a href="https://www.phelps.com/professionals/mark-fijman.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #0047bb; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s, background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">Mark Fijman</a></span> if you have questions on this or need advice or guidance. </p>Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-72480335107586925792023-05-09T16:12:00.001-05:002024-01-25T15:27:59.249-06:00FIFTH CIRCUIT SERVES RESTAURANT EMPLOYERS A SECOND CHANCE FOR INJUNCTION AGAINST DOL’S NEW “TIP CREDIT” RULE<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="line-height: 28.5pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;">In a win for restaurant employers using “tip credit” to pay
employees, the <strong style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s, background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><span style="color: #0047bb;">U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit</span></a></strong> ruled
that a Texas District Court erroneously denied a preliminary injunction against
enforcement of a rule that causes “irreparable harm” to employers. In the 2-1 <strong style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/22/22-50145-CV0.pdf" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s, background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><span style="color: #0047bb;">opinion</span></a></strong>, the Fifth Circuit panel
reversed the decision against the Restaurant Law Center and Texas Restaurant
Association in the groups’ action against the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL),
and sent the matter back to the lower court for further proceedings consistent
with its ruling.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 28.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 18.75pt; margin: 18.75pt 0in 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Generally, employers are required
to pay nonexempt workers at least the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. However,
the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) allows an employer to satisfy a portion of
its minimum wage obligation to a “tipped employee” by allocating a partial
credit, known as a “tip credit,” toward the minimum wage based on the amount of
tips an employee receives. This allows the employer to pay a direct cash wage
as low as $2.13 per hour, provided they make up the difference with tips earned
by and paid to the employee. Tip credit is used extensively in the restaurant
and hospitality industries to manage high up-front labor costs. However, proper
compliance with tip credit can be complex and mistakes are common. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 28.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 18.75pt; margin: 18.75pt 0in 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">In 2021, the Biden Administration’s
DOL introduced a new rule that further complicated the use of the tip credit method
for employers. Under the “80/20” and “continuous 30-minute” provisions, if an
employee spends more than 20% of their time or 30 continuous minutes doing
non-tip-producing work, the employer cannot utilize tip credit and is required
to pay at least the full minimum wage. DOL makes clear its hostility to the tip
credit method of payment and its intent to discourage its use and vigorously
investigate any allegations of noncompliance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 28.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 18.75pt; margin: 18.75pt 0in 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">In February 2022, the <strong style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.txwd.uscourts.gov/" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s, background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><span style="color: #0047bb;">U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas</span></a></strong> denied
a motion for a preliminary injunction filed by the Restaurant Law Center and
Texas Restaurant Association. In its ruling, the District Court did not reach
the merits of their claims against the rule, but instead held that Plaintiffs
“had failed to show they were irreparably harmed by the costs of complying with
the new rule” and found the additional costs of time monitoring and
recordkeeping were “purely speculative.” “overstated,” and “unspecific.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 28.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 18.75pt; margin: 18.75pt 0in 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">The Fifth Circuit panel majority
held that the District Court ignored well-established precedent that
“non-recoverable compliance costs for ongoing managements costs to ensure
compliance with the 80/20 and continuous 30-minute provisions are usually irreparable
harm.” The opinion noted that Plaintiffs’ witnesses testified that managers
must incur an additional 8-10 hours of time a week to comply with the rule, and
the DOL conceded that compliance costs nationwide would be $177 million
annually. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 28.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 18.75pt; margin: 18.75pt 0in 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">The majority strongly described the
DOL’s arguments that the new rule did not impose new recordkeeping requirements
on employers as “meritless.” The court stated:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div style="border: 1pt solid rgb(79, 129, 189); margin-left: 0.8in; margin-right: 0.8in; mso-border-alt: solid #4F81BD .25pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 10pt;">
<p class="MsoBlockText" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To claim the tip credit, employers must “ensure that tipped
employees are not spending more than 20 percent of their time on directly
supporting work, or more than 30 minutes continuously performing such duties.”
We cannot fathom how an employer could honor these specific constraints without
recording employee time. What if an employer is investigated by the Department
or sued by an employee for wrongly claiming the tip credit? Without time
records, how could an employer defend itself?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p align="center" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 28.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 18.75pt; margin: 18.75pt 0in 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">***</span></strong><b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<div style="border: 1pt solid rgb(79, 129, 189); margin-left: 0.8in; margin-right: 0.8in; mso-border-alt: solid #4F81BD .25pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 10pt;">
<p class="MsoBlockText" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the same vein, the Department
also claims that “employers need not engage in ‘minute to minute’ tracking of
an employee’s time in order to ensure that they qualify for the tip credit.” No
explanation is given (nor can we imagine one) why an employer would not have to
track employee minutes to comply with a rule premised on the </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">exact
number of consecutive minutes </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">an employee works. The Department also assures us that a
“30-minute uninterrupted block of time . . . can be readily distinguished from
the work that surrounds it. Maybe so, but that does not remove an employer’s
need to </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">account </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">for blocks of employee time,
especially if an employer is accused of violating the rule.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 28.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 18.75pt; margin: 18.75pt 0in 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Finding that the restaurant
Plaintiffs met their burden of showing irreparable harm, the case will return
to the the District Court to determine if the Plaintiffs can meet the remaining
tests for a preliminary injunction and succeed on the merits of the case.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 28.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 18.75pt; margin: 18.75pt 0in 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">In October 2022 while the appeal
was pending, the case was reassigned from Judge Robert Pitman to Judge David
Ezra. Prior to the Fifth Circuit ruling, both the DOL and the restaurant
Plaintiffs filed motions for summary judgment which have yet to be ruled upon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 28.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 18.75pt; margin: 18.75pt 0in 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">Please contact <a href="https://www.phelps.com/professionals/mark-fijman.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s, background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #0047bb; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Mark Fijman</span></strong></a> or any member of
Phelps’ <strong style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="https://www.phelps.com/services/practices/labor-and-employment/index.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s, background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><span style="color: #0047bb;">Labor and Employment team</span></a></strong> if you
have questions or need compliance advice or guidance on labor and employment
issues in the restaurant or hospitality industry.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-33183262310386780232023-04-19T14:00:00.004-05:002024-01-25T15:35:38.349-06:00“TIP CREDIT” IS A DOUBLE-EDGED KNIFE FOR RESTAURANT EMPLOYERS<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In the restaurant business, using the “tip credit” method of paying employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) is analogous to a kitchen worker chopping vegetables with an extremely sharp chef’s knife. If handled properly, it’s an extremely useful tool for restaurants to manage high up-front labor costs. If handled carelessly, it can result in expensive litigation and high-dollar liability. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">A national steakhouse chain recently agreed to pay $995,000 as part of a settlement to resolve claims it failed to properly pay servers and other employees who received tips. For smaller businesses with less resources, mistakes with tip credit can result in catastrophic liability. Likewise, the continued use of tip credit by the restaurant industry and other hospitality businesses is under attack by the current U.S. Department of Labor.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>The Basics</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In most instances, employers are required to pay nonexempt workers at least the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. However, the FLSA allows an employer to satisfy a portion of its minimum wage obligation to a “tipped employee” by taking a partial credit, known as a “tip credit,” toward the minimum wage based on the amount of tips an employee receives. 29 U.S.C. 203(m)(2)(A). This allows paying a subminimum wage, as low as $2.13 per hour, provided that the employer makes up the difference with tips earned by and paid to the employee. Under the FLSA a “tipped employee” is defined as “any employee engaged in an occupation in which he customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Compliance with tip credit can be complex and mistakes are common. Failure to abide by the extremely strict rules can invalidate the employer’s entitlement to the tip credit and make the restaurant liable for unpaid wage claims, liquidated damages and attorneys’ fees. The basic requirements for restaurants to use the tip credit include:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">•<span style="white-space: pre;"> <span> </span></span>The employer must notify workers in advance that: (a) the employer intends to utilize the tip credit and treat tips as satisfying part of the employer’s minimum wage obligations and (b) if the amount of tips plus hourly wages does not match or exceed the applicable minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference. The FLSA does not require this notice to be in writing, but it is a best practice to do so and have the employee agree by signing a form.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Tipped employees must retain all tips earned by that employee. The restaurant or managers cannot receive any portion of the tips.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Only employees who customarily receive tips, such as servers, may be paid utilizing the tip credit. Typically, back-of-house workers, such as cooks and dishwashers, cannot be paid using the tip credit.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">•<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The exception to restaurant employees retaining all tips is if there is a valid tip pooling arrangement where all tips are combined and shared among all tipped employees according to a pre-determined formula. A tip pool will be considered invalid if non-eligible workers or managers are allowed to participate.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Hostility to Tip Credit from the U.S. Department of Labor</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Compliance with the tip credit has recently become even more problematic. The Biden Administration’s DOL has reinstated the so-called “80/20” rule. Under the reinstated policy, when tipped employees spend at least 20% of their workweek performing duties that support their occupation but do not directly produce tips, their employers are required to pay them a direct cash wage of at least $7.25/hour for that work, instead of a direct cash wage of $2.13/hour, with the remainder made up by tips. Examples of work that is not tip producing might include a server preparing food for a salad bar or cleaning the kitchen or bathroom or a bartender cleaning the dining room. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The current DOL has made clear its hostility to the tip credit method of payment and its intent to discourage its use, as well as its intent to vigorously investigate any allegations of noncompliance. For this reason, restaurants should make sure they are meeting all of the requirements and potentially consult with counsel on alternative payment methods.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Mandatory Service Charge v. Tip Credit?</u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit illustrates how some restaurants may be moving away from using the tip credit method versus a mandatory customer service charge that would go toward paying employee wages and potentially avoid the headaches of tip credit. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In <i><a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=2978983755794443131&hl=en&as_sdt=6&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr">Compere v. Nusret Miami</a></i>, an upscale Miami steakhouse added a mandatory 18% "service charge" to customers' bills. It directly collected these payments and redistributed them to certain employees on a pro rata basis to cover the restaurant’s minimum and overtime wage obligations. Unlike tips, the service charge payments never went directly to the wait staff. Employees sued the restaurant, claiming the service charge was in fact, actually a tip. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The Eleventh Circuit ruled in the restaurant’s favor, finding that because it was a mandatory charge, unaffected by the customer’s discretion. However, using this method also carries its own complicated requirements and wage issues, and while common in other countries, American restaurant customers do not generally favor mandatory service charges.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Please contact <a href="https://www.phelps.com/professionals/mark-fijman.html">Mark Fijman</a> if you have questions or need compliance advice or guidance as to labor and employment issues in the restaurant or hospitality industry. </span></p><div style="text-indent: 48px;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-36258565116280915352022-08-28T09:17:00.005-05:002024-01-25T15:29:24.079-06:00Avoid These Employment Law “Kitchen Fires” to Protect Your Restaurant and Your Employees<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p>With restaurants struggling to return to normal after more than two years of COVID-19 shutdowns and restrictions and employee shortages, the last thing any restaurant owner wants to deal with is a costly lawsuit brought by a either a current or former employee, or potentially worse, by the Equal employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the U.S. Department of Labor.</p><p>In this series of articles, first published as Phelps Dunbar Employment Law Insights, I outline potential employment law “kitchen fires” that restaurant owners should be aware of, and what steps they need to take to avoid lawsuits and the expense and business disruption they can bring.</p><p>According to the EEOC, the restaurant industry is the single largest source of sexual harassment claims in the U.S. And it accounts for more than one-third of all sexual harassment claims from women. Recent surveys show 90% of women and 70% of men working in restaurants have experienced some form of sexual harassment from either managers, co-workers or customers. On a regular basis, well-known restaurant companies and celebrity chefs are being hit with sexual harassment claims as well as high-dollar judgments. <a href="https://www.phelps.com/insights/employment-law-kitchen-fires-protecting-your-restaurant-against-sexual-harassment.html"><strong>Part One</strong></a> of the series covers the laws against sexual harassment in the workplace, how to prevent it in a restaurant environment, and how proper policies and training can protect against liability.</p><p><a href="https://www.phelps.com/insights/employment-law-kitchen-fires-common-restaurant-wage-and-hour-issues-to-watch-out-for.html"><strong>Part Two</strong></a> looks at restaurant liability under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This is the law that requires employers to pay at least minimum wage and time and a half for all hours worked over 40 in the workweek. The FLSA can be a complicated and confusing law, and it is common for employers to make mistakes. Lack of compliance in a restaurant setting with multiple employees can lead to collective actions, which could potentially bankrupt a business. Part Two also looks at recent changes to the “tip credit” method of paying employees, misclassifying employees as exempt “managers,” liability for employees “working off the clock,” child labor laws, and what to do when faced with a Department of Labor investigation.</p><p><a href="https://www.phelps.com/insights/employment-law-kitchen-fires-avoiding-employment-discrimination.html"><strong>Part Three</strong></a> examines the federal statutes against employment discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, sex and age, the risks of liability for “English only” policies, and the legal requirement for restaurants to make reasonable accommodations on the basis of religion and disability.</p><p><a href="https://www.phelps.com/insights/employment-law-kitchen-fires-back-burner-issues.html"><strong>Part Four</strong></a> looks at other easily overlooked employment law kitchen fires, such as a restaurant’s failure to comply with the federal immigration law by correctly completing Form I-9’s for each employee, the potential liability in conducting background checks on potential employees, and how failing to openly display required employment law posters in your restaurant can be a costly and strategic mistake.</p><p>In addition to avoiding expensive legal problems, compliance with relevant employment laws might also help to address the restaurant headache of high employee turnover. This series addresses compliance with federal law, but many states have their own varying employment standards. Where appropriate, restaurants should engage counsel for assistance in complying with federal, state and local laws.</p><p>Please contact <strong><a href="https://www.phelps.com/professionals/mark-fijman.html">Mark Fijman</a></strong> or any member of Phelps’ <strong><a href="https://www.phelps.com/services/practices/labor-and-employment/index.html">Labor and Employment team</a></strong> if you have questions or need compliance advice or guidance.</p><p><br /></p>Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-73152248862650578082021-05-28T10:12:00.010-05:002024-01-25T15:29:40.604-06:00EEOC ISSUES UPDATED COVID-19 VACCINATION GUIDANCE TO EMPLOYERS<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><h2 style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.75pt; margin: 3.75pt 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">The Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has released updated and expanded <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/wysk/what-you-should-know-about-covid-19-and-ada-rehabilitation-act-and-other-eeo-laws?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=">technical
assistance</a> addressing frequently asked questions concerning COVID-19
vaccinations in the employment context, and what is permissible under federal
equal employment opportunity (“EEO”) laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities
Act (“ADA”) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (“GINA”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">).</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></h2><p style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.75pt; margin: 3.75pt 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The key updates to the technical assistance are summarized below:<o:p></o:p></span></p><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.25pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Federal
EEO laws do not prevent an employer from requiring all employees
physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19, so long
as employers comply with the reasonable accommodation provisions of the
ADA and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other EEO
considerations. Other laws, not in EEOC’s jurisdiction, may place
additional restrictions on employers. From an EEO perspective,
employers should keep in mind that because some individuals or demographic
groups may face greater barriers to receiving a COVID-19 vaccination than
others, some employees may be more likely to be negatively impacted by a
vaccination requirement.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.25pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Federal
EEO laws do not prevent or limit employers from offering incentives to
employees to voluntarily provide documentation or other confirmation of
vaccination obtained from a third party (not the employer) in the
community, such as a pharmacy, personal health care provider, or public
clinic. If employers choose to obtain vaccination information from their
employees, employers must keep vaccination information confidential
pursuant to the ADA.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.25pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Employers
that are administering vaccines to their employees may offer incentives
for employees to be vaccinated, as long as the incentives are not coercive.
Because vaccinations require employees to answer pre-vaccination
disability-related screening questions, a very large incentive could make
employees feel pressured to disclose protected medical information.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><p style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The EEOC has also posted a new <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/federal-laws-protect-you-against-employment-discrimination-during-covid-19-pandemic?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=">resource</a> for job applicants and
employees, explaining how federal employment discrimination laws protect
workers during the pandemic.</span></p>Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-24361692466299365502020-12-29T10:50:00.005-06:002024-01-25T15:29:57.641-06:00DOL Announces Continuing Standard for when “Telemedicine” is Considered an “In-Person” Visit for Establishing a Serious Health Condition Under the FMLA<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div>
The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has released a new <a href="https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/fab_2020_8.pdf">Field Assistance Bulletin</a> (“FAB”) to address an issue arising under the Family Medical Leave Act
(“FMLA”) in the midst of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to
telework. <div><br /></div><div> The FMLA provides eligible employees of covered employers with unpaid,<a href=""></a>
job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons, including a
“serious medical condition”, the definition of which can include treatment by a
healthcare provider. The DOL regulations provide that “[t]reatment by a health
care provider means an in-person visit to a health care provider.” In July 2020,
in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increased need for social
distancing, the DOL announced that a telemedicine visit by video conference
would be considered an in-person visit for purposes of the FMLA, through
December 31, 2020. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the new FAB, the DOL announced this standard will continue
into 2021. The Department noted that health care providers are now often using
telemedicine to deliver examinations, evaluations, and other healthcare services
that would previously have been provided only in an office setting. Given this
experience, and continuing the policy adopted in response to the COVID-19
pandemic, WHD will consider a telemedicine visit with a health care provider as
an in-person visit provided specified criteria are met. </div><div><br /></div><div>To be considered an “in-person” visit, the telemedicine visit must include: </div><div><br /></div><div>· an examination, evaluation, or treatment by a health care provider;</div><div><br /></div><div>· be permitted and accepted by state licensing authorities; and,</div><div><br /></div><div>· generally, should be performed by videoconference. </div><div><br /></div><div> According to the DOL, communication methods that
do not meet these criteria (e.g., a simple telephone call, letter, email, or
text message) are insufficient, by themselves, to satisfy the regulatory
requirement of an “in-person” visit.
</div>Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-26036205218702959292020-10-15T21:49:00.009-05:002024-01-25T15:30:13.629-06:00POT ON THE BALLOT COULD PUT EMPLOYER POLICIES OUT OF JOINT AND INTO THE COURTROOM<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As this contentious presidential campaign season draws to a close on November 3, 2020, voters in five states also will be casting their ballots on legalization of marijuana. Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota will decide whether to approve recreational marijuana, and Mississippi voters will choose whether to approve medical marijuana.</div><div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> However a recent federal court case in Pennsylvania, demonstrates the pitfalls and legal liabilities that employers can face in a state where marijuana is legal. In<a href="https://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/20D0464P.pdf"> Hudnell v. Jefferson University Hospitals, Inc. (E.D. Pa. Sept. 25, 2020)</a>, a U.S. District Court allowed an employee fired for testing positive for marijuana to bring a lawsuit against her employer under Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act (“MMA”). </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The plaintiff in the case, Donna Hudnell, was hired by Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals (“the Hospital”) as a security analyst in 2016. By 2018, she began experiencing severe back pain that limited her ability to work, walk and sleep. Recreational marijuana is illegal in Pennsylvania, but medical marijuana is legal under the state’s MMA. Patients prescribed medical marijuana are required to be certified by a physician and receive a medical marijuana card. Hudnell’s physician, who also worked at the Hospital, prescribed her medical marijuana to alleviate her back pain. However, her condition worsened and she was approved to work from home in May of 2019.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In October 2019, she asked to return to work and was required under the Hospital’s policies to take a drug test, because she had been out for more than 90 days. She gave the testing nurse copies of all her prescriptions, including her medical marijuana card. The nurse informed Hudnell that the card had expired in August. Hudnell responded she had renewed her card in August but her appointment with her physician for recertification was scheduled for five days later. Her physician at the Hospital re-certified her at that time.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, the hospital subsequently terminated her under their drug testing policy, because at the time she was tested, and was positive for marijuana use, she did not have a valid and certified medical marijuana card. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She subsequently sued the Hospital under Title VII of the Civil Rights of 1964, Pennsylvania’s Human Relations Act, and also alleged a claim under Pennsylvania’s MMA. Written into the MMA is a provision that “[n]o employer may discharge, threaten, refuse to hire or otherwise discriminate or retaliate against an employee regarding an employee’s compensation, terms, conditions, location or privileges solely on the basis of such employee’s status as an individual who is certified to use medical marijuana.” </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In regard to Hudnell’s MMA claim, the Hospital asked the court to dismiss the claim on the basis that the MMA did not explicitly provide a private cause of action allowing an employee to file a lawsuit. The Hospital also argued the statute did not apply to her because she did not have a valid medical marijuana card when tested.</div><div> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">In ruling against the Hospital and finding Hudnell had a right to sue under the MMA, the federal court determined that there was an implied right of action because, without one, the anti-discrimination provision would have no practical effect, and allowed Hudnell’s litigation against the Hospital to proceed.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The lesson for employers in states that legalize marijuana, is that the language of these statutes can vary widely as to the protections afforded to employees, and employers may have to adjust their policies to comply, including reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Employers may also need to reexamine their drug testing policies and also address safety and discipline issues in regard to employees being under the influence in the workplace.
</div></div>Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-89858299020195993412020-10-05T21:19:00.004-05:002024-01-25T15:30:29.921-06:00SUPREME COURT PASSES ON FINDING A "MARIJUANA EXCEPTION" TO THE FLSA<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />A Colorado employer’s hope of avoiding an employee’s collective action under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) has gone up in smoke at the United States Supreme Court. </div><p>
The Justices declined to hear the employer’s argument that it should not have to comply with the federal wage and hour law because it was engaged in Colorado’s legal marijuana industry, which remains illegal under federal law.</p><p>
The case involves Helix TSC, Inc. (“Helix”), which provides armed security guards, inventory control, and compliance services to the state-sanctioned marijuana industry in Colorado. The named Plaintiff, Robert Kenney, worked as a security guard for Helix, and filed suit claiming that the company misclassified him and other employees as exempt, and failed to pay overtime when they worked more than 40 hours in a work week.</p><p>In the trial court, Helix filed a Motion to Dismiss on the basis that the federal District Court lacked jurisdiction. Helix argued that because Kenney was employed in the marijuana industry, which is an industry "entirely forbidden" by the Federal Controlled Substances Act, Kenney was not entitled to the protections of the FLSA, and thus, the Court does not have subject matter jurisdiction over Plaintiff's claim. According to Helix, "[t]he protections of federal law ... are simply unavailable to an individual or business choosing to participate in an industry that is criminalized under federal law."
</p><p>
In the District Court’s Opinion denying Helix’s Motion, the Court held that the law was clear that “that employers are not excused from complying with federal laws, such as the FLSA, just because their business practices may violate federal law” and gave the example of finding FLSA violations where an employer employed illegal immigrants, which also was in violation of federal law. Helix then appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. </p><p> The <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">10th Circuit’s Opinion</span> affirmed the District Court’s decision, and rejected Helix’s “illegality defense”, noting that “just because an Employer is violating one federal law, does not give it license to violate another.”</p><p>
In its petition to the United States Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, Helix argued that "the Tenth Circuit's decision confers the same rights on a mule trafficking methamphetamine for a cartel in Oklahoma as it does on a driver ferrying marijuana through the streets of Denver."</p><p>
However, the Supreme Court was not convinced, and its October 5, 2020 denial of Helix's petition returns the case back to the District Court where Helix will have to defend against Kenney’s claims that he and other similarly situated employees were wrongly treated as exempt under the FLSA and not properly paid overtime.
</p>Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-29248410462281963372019-09-10T08:49:00.005-05:002024-01-25T15:30:51.420-06:00Tattoos in the U.S. Now Mainstream and Workplace Tattoo Stigma Continues to Fade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
According to a recent <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://daliaresearch.com/who-has-the-most-tattoos/">survey</a></span>,
the United States now holds the bronze medal for the most number of people with
tattoos, with 46% of the American population having at least one tattoo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The U.S. was beaten by Italy, with 48%,
followed by Sweden with 47%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
according to the survey, Americans top the charts for people with multiple
tattoos, men and women get tattoos at the same rate, and that tattoos are more
popular among those with higher levels of education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
What
this means for employers, is that there is now an almost 50-50 chance that a
job applicant will have one or more tattoos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Traditionally, tattoos were viewed negatively during the hiring process
and were not viewed as an asset in workplace advancement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As recently as 2016, a survey of Human
Resource managers cited tattoos as the third most likely physical attribute
that limits career potential, and polling of millennials show that 70% will
hide their tattoos in the workplace so as not to negatively impact their
employment prospects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, a study
by researchers from the University of Miami and University of Australia shows
that such concerns may have little to no basis<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In the study, entitled “Are
Tattoos Associated with Employment and Wage Discrimination? Analyzing the
Relationships between Body art and Labor Market Outcomes”, the researchers
surveyed more than 2000 people in all 50 states, and found the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>salaries and wages of tattooed employees were
“statistically indistinguishable” from those of their non-tattooed
counterparts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The study suggests that
employers recognize that by treating tattoos as a negative factor in hiring and
employment decisions, they run the risk of missing out on well-qualified job
candidates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is borne out in
corporate America, where some of the country’s biggest employers are now
considered <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meet-the-most-tattoo-friendly-companies/">“tattoo
friendly”</a></span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
From an employment law
standpoint, employers generally retain broad discretion in making employment
decisions based on tattoos, and whether having an “inked” employee is suitable
to their particular company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise,
tattoos that reflect offensive or discriminatory messages can be the basis for
not hiring an applicant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
However, under certain scenarios,
restrictions on tattoos in the workplace could run afoul of Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”) and possibly constitute religious
discrimination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good example of this
is the lawsuit that was brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(“EEOC”)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>against the Red Robin Gourmet
Burgers chain of restaurants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In EEOC v.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., the EEOC alleged that the company religiously
discriminated when they fired an employee for not covering up his tattoos and
refusing to accommodate a religious practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Red Robin ultimately settled the lawsuit prior to trial for $150,000 and
entered into a consent decree with the EEOC.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The case began when Edward Rangel was hired as a server at
Red Robin’s Bellevue, Washington restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the lawsuit, Rangel asserted he was an adherent of the Kemetic
religion, an ancient Egyptian faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
part of his religious practice, Rangel went through a rite of passage where he
received religious inscriptions in the form of tattoos. The inscriptions, less
than a quarter-inch wide and encircling his wrists, are liturgical verses from
an Egyptian scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the
lawsuit, the inscriptions symbolized Rangel’s religious dedication and his
religious practices made it a sin to intentionally conceal the religious
inscriptions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rangel had the tattoos on his wrists when he was hired, and
at that time, Red Robin has a dress code that prohibited employees from having
visible tattoos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The EEOC said that
although Rangel worked at Red Robin for approximately six months without a
complaint from customers, co-workers or his immediate supervisors, a new
manager saw the tattoos and fired Rangel for not concealing them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rangel claimed he had repeatedly talked with management,
giving detailed explanations of his faith and the need for an accommodation. He
sought an exemption from the dress code, but Red Robin refused to provide it or
any alternatives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Title VII requires
employers to make reasonable accommodations to sincerely held religious beliefs
unless it would cause undue hardship to the business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout the suit Red Robin maintained that
allowing any exceptions to its dress code policy would undermine its “wholesome
image.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before the parties settled, Red
Robin’s argument was rejected by the District Court, which held that Red Robin
was required to support its undue hardship claim with more than hypothetical
hardships based on unproven assumptions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The lesson to be learned from that case is that Title VII
and the EEOC take a very broad view of religion and generally, courts do not
want to be placed in the position of deciding what is or is not a bona fide
religion or religious practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To that
extent, tattoos that are part of a religious practice may need to be
accommodated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Accommodations are not
required if the employer would suffer undue hardship – that is, “more than de
minimis “ or a minimal cost. Whether an accommodation would be an undue
hardship is determined on a case-by-case basis, and considers the potential
burden on an employer’s business in addition to any monetary costs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Purely decorative secular tattoos do not impose a duty of
accommodation, and employees are free to make employment decisions on that
basis or require employees to cover them up at work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, as indicated by the recent study, it
appears that tattoos in the workplace are rapidly approaching the point of
becoming a non-issue.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-14774472359887195592019-06-19T07:44:00.003-05:002024-01-25T15:31:07.882-06:00NLRB Rules Employers Can Bar Union Solicitation by Nonemployees on Company Property Open to the Public<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 500px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;">In the latest in a series of business-friendly decisions, the
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled that employers may legally
bar union solicitation by nonemployees on company property that is
otherwise open to the public. [UPMC N.L.R.B., 368 N.L.R.B. No. 2, Opinion
6/14/19.] The <strong><span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://phelpsdunbar.com/redirect.aspx?url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.phelps.com%2fwebfiles%2fNLRB%2520Ruling%25206-14.pdf&&Email=mark.fijman@phelps.com&ContactId=2157&MailingId=30350&MailKey=1069410&LinkId=51582"><span style="color: blue;">NLRB’s
3-1 ruling</span></a></span></strong> expressly overturns a nearly 40 year old Board
precedent, referred to as the “public space exception”. Under that now
reversed precedent, nonemployee union organizers could not be denied access
by employers to cafeterias and restaurants open to the public if the
organizers used the facility in a manner consistent with its intended use and
were not disruptive.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;">The case began with a 2013 incident in which two union
organizers met with six employees in the cafeteria of a Pennsylvania hospital
to discuss organizing a union campaign. Union flyers and pins were displayed
on the tables at which the union representatives were sitting. The hospital
cafeteria was accessible to hospital employees, patients, their families and
other visitors.</span></div>
<span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;">After an employee complained of the union solicitation,
hospital security requested to see the identification of the union
representatives, and subsequently requested they leave the premises. The two
women refused to leave, and the head of security then called 911. Six police
officers arrived and escorted the union representatives from the cafeteria.
While the hospital cafeteria was open to the public, it had been the
hospital’s regular practice to remove nonemployees who were engaged in
promotional activity, including soliciting or distributing literature, in or
near the cafeteria. Prior to the union incident, the hospital had previously
escorted off the property a group soliciting for money, as well as a
religious group engaged in solicitation.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;">In ruling that the hospital did not engage in an unfair labor
practice by ejecting the union representatives, the NLRB held that because
the hospital uniformly prohibited any groups or individual from soliciting on
its property. “[w]e therefore hold that an employer may prohibit nonemployee
union representatives from engaging in promotional activity, including
solicitation or distribution, in its public cafeteria so long as it applies
the practice in a nondiscriminatory manner by prohibiting other nonemployees
from engaging in similar activity.”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;">The decision is being applauded by business groups for giving
employers more control over who can access company property. However, the
Board’s sole dissenting member has blasted the majority’s decision as
inconsistent with Supreme Court precedent, and stating of the hospital’s
actions “[i]f this was not [anti-union] discrimination, then it is hard to
know what is.”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;">While this latest decision is welcomed by employers, companies
should always proceed cautiously and seek legal counsel before taking actions
concerning union activity or any other situations potentially implicating
protected concerted activity under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""Arial Narrow",sans-serif" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;">Other significant ruling by the majority GOP NLRB may be on
the horizon. Back in 2014, under the Obama administration, the then
Democrat-controlled NLRB issued a controversial ruling that declared
employers, generally, cannot prohibit employees from using a company’s e-mail
system for union organizing purposes or other activities protected by the
NLRA. The current NLRB has sought to revisit that decision, and possibly
overturn it, by soliciting public comment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div align="center">
</div>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-17476590483132211342019-03-13T13:12:00.003-05:002024-01-25T15:31:27.965-06:00FOURTH CIRCUIT RULES THAT SPREADING WORKPLACE RUMORS OF “SEX FOR PROMOTIONS” CAN CONSTITUTE SEXUAL HARASSMENT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div style="border: 1pt solid rgb(79, 129, 189); margin-left: 0.8in; margin-right: 0.8in; mso-border-alt: solid #4F81BD .25pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 10pt;">
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">“</span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal;">No other evil we
know is faster than Rumor, thriving on speed and becoming stronger by running.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>_ Virgil, The Aeneid<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;">Back in 19 BC, the ancient Roman poet Virgil noted the
destructive nature of rumors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More
recently, in 2019, a federal appeals court has held that rumors can be a potential
basis for liability in employment law litigation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In a significant decision, the United
States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed a lower court and held
that false workplace rumors that a female employee had been promoted for having
sex with her boss could serve as the basis for sexual harassment and
retaliation claims against an employer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The case also serves as a warning to employers of the costs involved in
not effectively addressing such situations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In </span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca4/18-1206/18-1206-2019-02-08.html"><span style="color: blue;">Parker
v. Reema Consulting Servs., Inc.</span></a></span></i></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> (4<sup>th</sup>
Cir. Feb. 8, 2019), Evangeline Parker worked at her employer’s warehouse
facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">While she began as a low-level clerk, she was promoted
six times, ultimately rising to Assistant Operations Manager of the facility. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">However, she subsequently learned that a
jealous subordinate, whom she had been promoted over, and a higher ranking
manager at the warehouse, were actively spreading rumors that her success was
the result of her having a sexual relationship with another company
official.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As alleged in the lawsuit she
later filed, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">as the rumor
spread, Parker “was treated with open resentment and disrespect” from many
coworkers, including employees she was responsible for supervising. As she
alleged, her “work environment became increasingly hostile.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
manager who was spreading the rumor subsequently confronted Parker and </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">blamed her for “bringing the situation
to the workplace” and told her “he could<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>no longer recommend her for promotions or higher-level tasks because of
the rumor” and he “would not allow her to advance any further within the
company.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Parker subsequently
sought to talk to the manager about the situation, the lawsuit alleges the
manager lost his temper and began screaming at her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Parker subsequently filed a sexual harassment
complaint against the manager and the subordinate with the company’s Human
Resources Manager.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following the
complaint, the manager in question issued written warnings against Parker and
she was fired as a result.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Pursuant
to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”), Parker filed a
lawsuit alleging a hostile work environment claim based on discrimination
because of her sex, as well as a retaliation claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, in January 2018, the federal
District court granted the employer’s Motion to Dismiss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The District Court held she failed to state a
sex discrimination claim because “the establishment and circulation of this
rumor is not based upon her gender, but rather based upon her alleged
conduct.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She subsequently appealed the
decision to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
reversing the District Court’s decision, the Fourth Circuit held that the lower
court was wrong in deciding that the workplace rumor was not based on Parker’s
sex:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div style="border: 1pt solid rgb(79, 129, 189); margin-left: 0.8in; margin-right: 0.8in; mso-border-alt: solid #4F81BD .25pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 10pt;">
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">As alleged, the rumor was that
Parker, a female subordinate, had sex with her male superior to obtain
promotion, implying that Parker used her womanhood, rather than her merit, to
obtain from a man, so seduced, a promotion. She plausibly invokes a deeply
rooted perception — one that unfortunately still persists — that generally
women, not men, use sex to achieve success. And with this double standard,
women, but not men, are susceptible to being labelled as “sluts” or worse,
prostitutes selling their bodies for gain.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal;"><o:p><span style="color: black;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">In short, because “traditional
negative stereotypes regarding the relationship between the advancement of
women in the workplace and their sexual behavior stubbornly persist in our society,”
and “these stereotypes may cause superiors and coworkers to treat women in the
workplace differently from men,” it is plausibly alleged that Parker suffered
harassment because she was a woman.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal;"><o:p><span style="color: #4f81bd;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal;"><o:p><span style="color: #4f81bd;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">In addition to reversing the lower
court’s dismissal of Parker’s sex discrimination claim, the Fourth Circuit also
reversed the dismissal of her retaliation claim, allowing both claims to
proceed to a trial on the merits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
lesson from this case is that workplace gossip and rumors are not harmless and can
result in potential liability to employers when they involve protected classes
under Title VII or other anti-discrimination statutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Human Resources should take complaints about
such rumors seriously and address them directly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-54900980972832007652019-02-01T09:43:00.004-06:002024-01-25T15:34:50.713-06:00GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN RESULTS IN EXTENDED DEADLINE FOR EMPLOYERS TO SUBMIT EEO-1 DATA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: black;">
<div style="margin: 3.75pt 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">Due to the recent partial
lapse in federal government appropriations, the deadline to submit EEO-1 data
will be extended until <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>May 31, 2019</u></b>.
The EEO-1 is an annual federal survey that requires all private employers with
100 or more employees and federal government contractors or first-tier
subcontractors with 50 or more employees <strong>and</strong> a federal
contract, subcontract or purchase order amounting to $50,000 or more to file
the EEO-1 report. </span><span class="ilfuvd"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The survey requires company employment data to be
categorized by race/ethnicity, gender and job category. </span></span><span style="color: black;">The filing of the EEO-1 report, is required by federal law
per Section 709(c), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; and
§1602.7–§1602.14, Title 29, Chapter XIV of the Federal Code of Regulations. Details
and instructions for EEO-1 filers, including the exact date of the survey
opening, will be forthcoming. Filers should refer to the <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/employers/eeo1survey/index.cfm"><span style="color: blue;">EEO-1 website</span></a> in
the coming weeks for updates on the new schedule.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 3.75pt 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-77192855772584665642018-08-17T10:04:00.005-05:002024-01-25T15:32:16.458-06:00Study Shows Tattoos in the Workplace Becoming a Non-Issue but Can Still Pose Employment Law Issues for Employers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Traditionally, tattoos once identified their
owners as rough characters. This bodily artwork was generally and
stereotypically associated with sailors, bikers, members of the military, or
the result of an alcohol-assisted impulse purchase. However, a glance
around the average coffee shop or suburban mall clearly demonstrates that is no
longer the case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the <a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2017/06/14/explosion-in-tattooing-piercing-tests-state-regulators"><span style="color: blue;">Pew
Research Center</span></a>, nearly 40% of people born after 1980 have one or more
tattoos, and 25% have a piercing someplace other than an earlobe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to tattoo industry estimates, 60 % of
all tattoos are being done on women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surveys
of </span><span style="color: #212121;">millennials</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <span lang="EN">show that 70% will hide their tattoos in the workplace so as
not to negatively impact their employment prospects.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">However, a new <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0018726718782597"><span style="color: blue;">study</span></a> by
researchers from the University of Miami and University of Australia shows that
with changing societal norms, such concerns may have little to no basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the study, entitled “Are Tattoos
Associated with Employment and Wage Discrimination? Analyzing the Relationships
between Body art and Labor Market Outcomes”, the researchers surveyed more than
2000 people in all 50 states, and found the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>salaries and wages of tattooed employees were<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>“statistically indistinguishable” from
those of their non-tattooed counterparts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The study suggests that employers recognize that by treating tattoos as
a negative factor in hiring and employment decisions, they run the risk of
missing out on well-qualified job candidates.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">From an employment law
standpoint, employers generally retain broad discretion in making employment
decisions based on tattoos, and whether having an “inked” employee is suitable
to their particular company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">under certain scenarios, restrictions on
tattoos in the workplace could run afoul of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964 (“Title VII”) and possibly constitute religious discrimination. A
good example of this is the lawsuit that was brought by the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>against
the Red Robin Gourmet Burgers chain of restaurants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_ftn7"></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">EEOC v. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc.</i>, the EEOC alleged that the
company religiously discriminated when they fired an employee for not covering
up his tattoos and refusing to accommodate a religious practice. Red
Robin ultimately settled the lawsuit prior to trial for $150,000 and entered
into a consent decree with the EEOC.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">The case began when Edward Rangel was hired as a
server at Red Robin’s Bellevue, Washington restaurant. In the lawsuit, Rangel
asserted he was an adherent of the Kemetic religion, an ancient Egyptian
faith. As part of his religious practice, Rangel went through a rite of
passage where he received religious inscriptions in the form of tattoos. The
inscriptions, less than a quarter-inch wide and encircling his wrists, are
liturgical verses from an Egyptian scripture. According to the lawsuit,
the inscriptions symbolized Rangel’s religious dedication and his religious
practices made it a sin to intentionally conceal the religious inscriptions.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Rangel had the tattoos on his wrists when he was
hired, and at that time, Red Robin has a dress code that prohibited employees
from having visible tattoos. The EEOC said that although Rangel worked at
Red Robin for approximately six months without a complaint from customers,
co-workers or his immediate supervisors, a new manager saw the tattoos and
fired Rangel for not concealing them.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Rangel claimed he had repeatedly talked with
management, giving detailed explanations of his faith and the need for an
accommodation. He sought an exemption from the dress code, but Red Robin
refused to provide it or any alternatives. Title VII requires employers
to make reasonable accommodations to sincerely held religious beliefs unless it
would cause undue hardship to the business. Throughout the suit Red Robin
maintained that allowing any exceptions to its dress code policy would
undermine its “wholesome image.” Before the parties settled, Red Robin’s
argument was rejected by the District Court, which held that Red Robin was
required to support its undue hardship claim with more than hypothetical
hardships based on unproven assumptions.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">The lesson to be learned from that case is that
Title VII and the EEOC take a very broad view of religion and generally, courts
do not want to be placed in the position of deciding what is or is not a bona
fide religion or religious practice. To that extent, tattoos that are
part of a religious practice may need to be accommodated. Accommodations
are not required if the employer would suffer undue hardship – that is, “more
than de minimis “ or a minimal cost. Whether an accommodation would be an undue
hardship is determined on a case-by-case basis, and considers the potential
burden on an employer’s business in addition to any monetary costs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Purely decorative secular tattoos do not impose a
duty of accommodation, and employees are free to make employment decisions on
that basis or require employees to cover them up at work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, as indicated by the recent study, it
appears that tattoos in the workplace are rapidly approaching the point of
becoming a non-issue. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 18pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 18pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-20818956086338592672018-04-20T08:35:00.004-05:002024-01-25T15:32:31.607-06:00FIFTH CIRCUIT RULES THAT THREAT OF WORKPLACE VIOLENCE TRUMPS FMLA RETALIATION CLAIM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">
</span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">
</span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">An alleged threat by a former Southwest Airlines employee “</span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">that he wished he could order a black
trench coat so that he could bring his shotgun to work” was enough to derail
his claim that his employer terminated him in retaliation for taking
intermittent leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">In affirming the District Court’s grant of
summary judgment in favor of Southwest, the April 18, 2018 </span><a href="http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/unpub/17/17-51026.0.pdf"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: blue;">opinion</span></span></a><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit agreed the airline
had established a legitimate </span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;">non-discriminatory reason for
discharging Tate Clark, and that Clark had failed to prove that the reason was
pretextual, or false. </span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"> <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;">Clark
began working for Southwest in 2001 as a customer service agent, and in 2011, he
applied for and was approved for intermittent leave under the FMLA for his
migraine headaches. Clark’s intermittent leave continued until his discharge,
and he was never denied FMLA leave during his tenure with Southwest.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;">The
incident that resulted in his termination took place on February 25, 2015,
while he worked an early morning shift alone with a female co-worker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On February 27, 2015, the co-worker sent the
following note to her supervisors:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; border: 1pt solid rgb(79, 129, 189); margin-left: 0.8in; margin-right: 0.8in; mso-border-alt: solid #4F81BD .25pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 10pt;">
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Hi guys, I
wasn’t sure if I should share this but the more I thought about it, the more it
bothered me. On Wednesday night, When Tate & I were working together, he
was looking at the Lands End uniform web site. There was a picture of the
trench coat and I asked him if he was going to order it. He said no, but I wish
they made it in black. I asked him why and he said so he could bring in his
shotgun. I told him not to joke about something like that and he just sat there
chuckling. I’m not necessarily afraid, but it wasn’t the first time he referred
to his guns in that manner.</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a brief
investigation, Clark was suspended on March 1, 2015, and on March 9, he was
terminated for violating Southwest’s Zero Tolerance Workplace Violence Policy
that prohibited threatening workplace violence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Clark subsequently filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court
for the Western District of Texas, alleging that the true reason for his
termination </span><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;">was retaliation for taking FMLA leave.</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;">In support of his claim, Clark
argued that his taking of FMLA leave on </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;">February 27, 2015 established a connection with his March 9, 2015,
termination, and he cited other incidents, including a negative workplace
review, that had occurred more than a year before his termination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;">In dismissing
Clark’s lawsuit, the District Court indicated that while the evidence of a
causal connection between Clark’s taking of FMLA leave and his termination was
weak, his claim failed because Southwest had established a legitimate,
non-discriminatory reason for discharging him, and Clark could not show the
airline’s reason was false.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his
deposition, Clark had testified that he had been aware of Southwest’s workplace
violence policy and had received training on it. He also said he had understood
that it was a “zero tolerance” policy, conceding that there was “no room” “to
have any sort of excuse for that.” Clark also agreed that, if he had made it,
his comment about bringing in a shotgun would have violated the policy and
would have been grounds for termination. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-25973104626361787232018-02-06T07:47:00.003-06:002024-01-25T15:35:15.632-06:00A GOOD EXAMPLE OF HOW “NOT” TO REASONABLY ACCOMMODATE UNDER THE ADA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"> <span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"> The settlement of a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) aptly demonstrates the adage that sometimes
the best example is a <u>really</u> bad example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The EEOC filed the suit in
2017, alleging that Hester Foods, which operated a Kentucky Fried Chicken
restaurant in Dublin, Georgia, had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act
(“ADA”) by firing its restaurant manager when the company’s owner found out
that the woman was taking medication prescribed by her doctor to treat her
bipolar disorder.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>According to the EEOC
lawsuit, when the owner discovered the woman was receiving the treatment, he referred
to the manager’s medications in obscene terms, and made her destroy her
medications by flushing them down a toilet at the restaurant. When the woman
later told the owner that she planned to continue taking the medications per
her doctor’s orders, the owner told her not to return to work and fired her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The EEOC filed suit in the U.S. District
Court for the Southern District of Georgia after first attempting to reach a
pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</span></span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In addition to paying a $30,000.00
settlement, the consent decree settling the ADA lawsuit requires the restaurant
operator to create and disseminate a handbook containing policies that prohibit
discrimination. The decree also requires that the company provide annual equal
employment opportunity training to its managers, supervisors, and employees.
The two-year decree further requires the company to post a notice to its
employees about the lawsuit and to provide periodic reporting to EEOC about
disability discrimination complaints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;">In commenting on the settlement, </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;">Antonette
Sewell, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Atlanta District Office stated
“Employers are not allowed to force workers with disabilities to choose between
their jobs and their health. Reasonable accommodation includes allowing workers
to rely on their physicians, not on the opinions of the company managers.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The ADA </span><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;">prohibits private employers, state and local
governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against
qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring,
firing, advancement, compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions,
and privileges of employment. The ADA covers employers with 15 or more
employees, including state and local governments. It also applies to employment
agencies and to labor organizations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>An employer is required to make a reasonable accommodation
to the known disability of a qualified applicant or employee if it would not
impose an "undue hardship" on the operation of the employer's
business. Reasonable accommodations are adjustments or modifications provided
by an employer to enable people with disabilities to enjoy equal employment
opportunities. Accommodations vary depending upon the needs of the individual
applicant or employee, and must be judged on a case-by-case basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"> </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span> </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> Making a reasonable accommodation can sometimes be
difficult but more often, can be addressed through common sense and engaging in
an interactive process with the employee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As illustrated by this case, failure to do so can be costly.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 110%;">
</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
</div>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-51838527436959012072018-01-25T10:56:00.006-06:002024-01-25T15:37:11.031-06:00DOL Reduces the Risk of Employers Offering Unpaid Internships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Employers interviewing for their upcoming summer
internship programs now have more flexibility and less risk of wage and hour
litigation due to a significant policy turnaround by the U.S. Department of
Labor (DOL).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
Traditionally, unpaid internships offered college students
the opportunity to gain real-life business experience in their chosen career,
while for-profit employers received the benefit of additional assistance in the
workplace, as well as an opportunity to assess potential new employees.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
However, in 2010, this symbiotic relationship was
complicated by the DOL’s institution of a strict six-factor test to determine
if the individual was properly classified as an unpaid intern or an employee
entitled to wages and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
Under the former DOL test, all of the following criteria
must have been met to be considered an intern by the FLSA: (1) the internship
is similar to training that would be given in an educational environment, (2)
the internship experience is for the benefit of the intern, (3) the intern does
not displace regular employees and works under close supervision of existing
staff, (4) the employer does not gain an immediate advantage from the intern's
activities (and the employer’s operations may actually be impeded or hindered
by the intern’s activities), (5) the intern is not guaranteed a job at the end
of the program, and (6) the employer and the intern each understand that the
internship is unpaid.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The 2010 test resulted in current and former interns
bringing class action lawsuits against companies such as Viacom, 21st Century
Fox, and fashion giant Gucci, resulting in large dollar settlements. While some
companies reacted by creating internships that paid at least the minimum wage,
many other companies simply eliminated internship programs out of fear of
litigation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
In January 2018, the DOL released <a href="https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm">Fact Sheet #71:
Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act</a>, which scrapped the
old test, in favor of the court-favored “primary beneficiary test” to determine
if an individual is an intern or an employee under the FLSA. The new
seven-factor test is as follows:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
1.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The extent
to which the intern and the employer clearly understand that there is no
expectation of compensation. Any promise of compensation, expressed or implied,
suggests that the intern is an employee—and vice versa.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
2.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The extent
to which the internship provides training that would be similar to that which
would be given in an educational environment, including the clinical and other
hands-on training provided by educational institutions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
3.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The extent
to which the internship is tied to the intern’s formal education program by
integrated coursework or the receipt of academic credit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
4.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The extent
to which the internship accommodates the intern’s academic commitments by
corresponding to the academic calendar.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
5.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The extent
to which the internship’s duration is limited to the period in which the
internship provides the intern with beneficial learning.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
6.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The extent
to which the intern’s work complements, rather than displaces, the work of paid
employees while providing significant educational benefits to the intern.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
7.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The extent
to which the intern and the employer understand that the internship is
conducted without entitlement to a paid job at the conclusion of the
internship.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
Courts have described the “primary beneficiary test” as a
flexible test, and no single factor is determinative. Accordingly, whether an
intern or student is an employee under the FLSA depends on the circumstances of
each case.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
If analysis of these circumstances reveals that an intern
or student is actually an employee, he or she is entitled to both minimum wage
and overtime pay under the FLSA. On the other hand, if the analysis confirms
that the intern or student is not an employee, then he or she is not entitled
to either minimum wage or overtime pay under the FLSA.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Employers should carefully assess their internship
programs under the new criteria, and if needed, seek advice of counsel in
regard to any use of unpaid interns.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-6608494508838784402017-10-25T09:03:00.002-05:002024-01-25T15:32:48.442-06:00Social Media Complications in the Enforcement of Non-Solicitation Agreements<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN"><div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Determining whether a former employee has breached a non-solicitation agreement has become a more complicated issue in the social media age. Courts are wrestling with the question of when a former employee’s social media interaction crosses the line into contractually prohibited solicitation.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
At the start of employment, many businesses require employees to sign non-solicitation agreements, which restrict the employee from contacting the company’s customers or employees for a set period after the employee leaves the company. The goal of such agreements is to prevent the poaching of customers and/or co-workers by the departing employee, who often is headed to work for a business competitor.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Companies commonly use social media, such as Facebook or LinkedIn to market, advertise and communicate with customers. A company’s employees also frequently will add these same customers to their own personal social media accounts as Facebook "friends" or LinkedIn "connections." A common scenario involves a company’s customers or employees continuing to receive status alerts from the company’s former employee, either in the form of automatic updates, usually regarding their new employment, or more direct communications. While these type of cases are often very fact-specific, courts have held that a key consideration in determining whether a social media post is an improper solicitation is the content and substance of the post, and whether the social media activity is passive or active.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
An example of such passive social media activity is found in <i>Bankers Life & Casualty Co. v. American Senior Benefits, LLC</i>, 2017 WL 3393844 (Ill. App. Ct. Aug. 7, 2017). In that case, the court held that a former employee sending invitations to former co-workers to connect via LinkedIn did not constitute solicitation in violation of his non-competition agreement. In ruling against the former employer, the court noted that the invitations to connect were sent through generic e-mails that invited recipients to form professional connections, and that the generic e-mails did not contain any discussion of the former or current employer, did not suggest that recipients view open job positions on the former employee's profile page, and did not solicit recipients to leave their place of employment. The court in <i>Bankers Life & Casualty </i>cited rulings from other jurisdictions as to the difference between permitted "passive, untargeted communications" and prohibited active and direct solicitations.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Another case in which a court found no violation of a non-solicitation agreement, and ruled against the employer is <i>Invidia, LLC v. DiFonzo</i>, 2012 WL 5576406 (Mass. Super. Ct. 2012). In that case, the former employee was a hair stylist, who was under a two year non-solicitation agreement. The former employee had become Facebook friends with at least eight clients of her former employer, and upon leaving her employment with Invidia, a public announcement was posted on her Facebook page announcing her new employment at another hair salon. In ruling that this did not violate her non-solicitation agreement, the court noted:</div>
<dir>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR">
In the comment section below that post, [Invidia customer] Ms. Kaiser posted a comment which said, "See you tomorrow Maren [DiFonza]. Ms. Kaiser then cancelled her appointment at Invidia for the next day. But it does not constitute "solicitation" of Invidia’s customers to post a notice on Ms. DiFonza’a Facebook page that Ms. DiFonza is joining David Paul Salons. It would be a very different matter if Ms. DiFonza had contacted her that she was moving to David Paul Salons, but there is no evidence of any such contact.</div>
</dir><div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
In the <i>Invidia </i>case, it bears mention that the court declined to enforce the non-solicitation agreement based on the purportedly passive social media activity, even though there was evidence that 90 of Invidia’s clients had subsequently canceled or failed to reschedule appointments after the Facebook posting.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
In contrast, courts have enforced non-solicitation agreements when confronted with active or aggressive social media activity on the part of the former employee. In <i>Coface Collections North America c. v. Newton</i>, 430 Fed. Appx. 162 (3rd Cir. 2011), the appeals court affirmed an order to enforce a non-solicitation/non-competition agreement where the former employee posted on LinkedIn the date on which his restrictive covenant would expire, encouraged "experienced professionals" to contact him about employment with his new company, and sent Facebook friend requests to a number of his former co-workers, specifically inviting them to view his posted job solicitations.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Employers looking to enforce non-solicitation agreements or other restrictive covenants in the social media age should consider the following:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<ul>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR">
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
Many employers are using the same outdated non-solicitation/non-competition agreements they have used for years, which do not reference social media in any manner. Employers should revise and update such agreements to specifically address what types of social media activity will constitute a breach. Courts are more likely to enforce such agreements if the employee was expressly placed on notice. </div>
</li>
</div>
</ul>
</ul>
<br /><br />
<ul><ul>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
A court will require evidence before it issues a temporary restraining order or other injunctive relief against a breaching former employee. However, evidence of a breach of a non-solicitation agreement through social media can be very transitory or can be deleted by a former employee trying to destroy evidence. Any posting by a former employee suspected of violating their agreement should be immediately preserved, either through printed copies of screen shots, or saved digitally.</div>
</li>
<br /></ul>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="LTR" style="text-align: justify;">
Another issue companies should be aware of is their own utilization of social media, and more specifically, the employees who have access to these accounts and post content on behalf of the company. In recent years, issues have arisen where a disgruntled departing employee is the only person who knows the passwords and usernames, and essentially locks the company out of its own social media accounts. All such employees should be required to sign agreements to provide access to such account information upon the termination of their employment, and such an agreement could be included in the terms of a non-competition/non-solicitation agreement.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR">
Mark Fijman is licensed to practice in Louisiana and Mississippi, and specializes in the enforcement of non-competition/non-solicitation agreements and trade secret litigation.</div>
</b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<br />Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-86925675173297062452017-08-30T21:15:00.002-05:002024-01-25T15:33:05.724-06:00EEOC SUES ESTEE LAUDER FOR SEX DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MALE EMPLOYEES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cosmetics
giant Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. is known for its perfumes, but </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman";">in a lawsuit just filed in
the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) alleges something stinks about the
company’s parental leave policy as it applies to its male employees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman";">In announcing the lawsuit,
the EEOC says Estee Lauder </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">violated federal law when it
implemented and administered a paid parental leave program that automatically
provides male employees who are new fathers lesser parental leave benefits than
are provided to female employees who are new mothers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As alleged in the suit, Estee Lauder adopted a new parental
leave program in 2013 to provide employees with paid leave for purposes of
bonding with a new child, as well as flexible return-to-work benefits when the
child bonding leave expired. Under its parental leave program, in addition to
paid leave already provided to new mothers to recover from childbirth, Estee
Lauder also provides eligible new mothers an additional six weeks of paid
parental leave for child bonding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
under the program, Estee Lauder only offers new fathers whose partners have
given birth two weeks of paid leave for child bonding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The suit also alleges that new mothers are
provided with flexible return-to-work benefits upon expiration of child bonding
leave that are not similarly provided to new fathers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman";">The
case began when </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">a male employee working as a stock person in an Estee Lauder
store in Maryland sought parental leave benefits after his child was born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He requested, and was denied, the six weeks
of child-bonding leave that biological mothers automatically receive, and was
allowed only the two weeks under the company policy. leave to bond with his
newborn child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The EEOC alleges the
company’s conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title
VII”) and the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which prohibit discrimination in pay or benefits
based on sex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The suit seeks relief for
the affected employee, and other male employees who were denied equal parental
leave benefits because of their sex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Specifically, the EEOC is seeking back pay and compensatory and punitive
damages on behalf of the male class members, as well as injunctive relief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Under
the EEOC’s Strategic Enforcement Plan, addressing sex-based pay discrimination,
including in benefits such as paid leave, is a key priority of the Commission.
In bringing such a high-profile lawsuit against such a well-known
female-centric company, the EEOC is clearly trying to make a point. According
to EEOC Washington Field Office Acting Director Mindy Weinstein, “It is
wonderful when employers provide paid parental leave and flexible work
arrangements, but federal law requires equal pay, including benefits, for equal
work, and that applies to men as well as women.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While
the merits of the EEOC’s lawsuit against Estee Lauder remain to be litigated,
the lawsuit is a good reminder for employers, even those in far less glamorous industries, to review their handbooks to see
if even the most well-intentioned employment policy needs a makeover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="3" Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-70847770223955524272017-08-16T07:57:00.003-05:002024-01-25T15:37:33.038-06:00JURY VERDICT IN “TOP CHEF” UNION EXTORTION TRIAL “TAKES THE CAKE”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div style="border: 1pt solid rgb(79, 129, 189); margin-left: 0.8in; margin-right: 0.8in; mso-border-alt: solid #4F81BD .5pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 10pt;">
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">"If the law supposes that," said
Mr. Bumble, squeezing his hat emphatically in both hands, "the law is a
ass - a idiot".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Oliver Twist</span></i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> – Charles Dickens (1838)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">
<br />
In a surprising turn of events,
a federal jury in Boston has found members of the Teamsters Union not guilty on
charges of extortion in an ugly case of union hardball tactics against the
production crew and cast of the television show “Top Chef” while the show was
filming in Boston in 2014.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
I first wrote about this <a href="http://theemployeewiththedragontattoo.blogspot.com/2016/09/former-teamsters-union-officials-goose.html">case</a>
in 2016 following the federal indictment of members of Teamsters Local 25 and
one member entering a guilty plea to extortion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Prior to finding the union members not guilty of extortion in attempting
to force the show to hire non-union workers, the jury had been instructed by <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock that
the prosecution had the burden of proving that the four Teamsters didn’t just
want to replace non-union workers with union workers, but were instead trying
to force Top Chef to hire Teamsters for truck-driving work the show neither
wanted nor needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The judge further
instructed jurors that </span>replacing non-union workers would be a legal and
legitimate labor objective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Attorneys
for the Teamsters had argued to the jury that the union members could not be
convicted on federal extortion charges, even if they had made threats, if they
had legitimate labor objectives in mind.<o:p></o:p>
To put this in perspective, let’s
look back at my original post on the case, in which the Teamster Union’s
tactics were described:<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="border: 1pt solid rgb(79, 129, 189); margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">From
the picket line outside the Milton restaurant, the members of Local 25 screamed
racist, sexist and homophobic threats and slurs for hours as production crew
and cast came and went. Some of the <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">worst</span> conduct was directed toward the show’s host. When Lakshmi
arrived at the scene, one of the union members rushed her car and screamed
“We’re gonna bash that pretty face in, you f***ing whore!” Local 25
members picketed the restaurant, physically roughed up members of the
production crew, and slashed the tires of fourteen production workers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In responding to local media reports of the
incident at the time, a <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Local 25
spokeswoman stated<i>, </i>“As far as we’re concerned, nothing happened.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">
<br />
U.S. Attorney William Weinreb
expressed disappointment in the jury’s verdict. “The government believed, and
continues to believe, that the conduct in this case crossed the line and
constituted a violation of federal law. The defendants’ conduct was an affront
to all of the hard-working and law-abiding members of organized labor. We will
continue to aggressively prosecute extortion in all its forms to ensure that
Boston remains a safe and welcoming place to do business.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
It bears mention that prior to
the trial, an indicted official of Local 25 pled guilty to federal extortion
charges in connection with union threats of physical violence and production
disruption against the cast and crew of the top-rated culinary reality show.<o:p></o:p>
<br />
<br />
In light of the egregious and
undisputed facts of the union’s conduct, and the apparent strength of the
government’s case at the time of the indictment, the not guilty verdict comes
as a surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Northeast is a more
union-friendly environment, and it is possible that may have had some influence
on the jury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As noted in my original
post, there also was a local political angle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, if the existing labor law, as given to the jury in their
instructions, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>permits the type of
thuggish behavior shown in this case, it begs the question of what conduct
would be <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>not</u></b> be permitted?<o:p></o:p><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<br />Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-41930921597762934532017-08-06T18:42:00.002-05:002024-01-25T15:37:53.747-06:00The Ugly Truth: Are Your Employee Handbook Policies and Non-Compete Agreements a Recipe for Litigation?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ol style="list-style-type: upper-roman;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b>I. INTRODUCTION</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
A question often asked by employers is whether they are legally required to have an employee handbook, and the answer is “no.” A much better question to ask is whether it is a good idea for employers to legally protect themselves with a well-drafted and up-to-date employee handbook, and the answer to that question is a clear and definitive “yes.” </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
A good employee handbook provides a road map for your company, and introduces employees to your culture, mission and values. It should clearly and concisely communicate your policies, procedures and expectations to your employees and provide guidance to your supervisors. In the event of employment litigation, what you have in your handbook as far as reporting harassment or discrimination, accommodating disabilities or religious beliefs, granting leave under the FMLA, or wage and hour issues, could make the difference between prevailing in a lawsuit, or having to pay an adverse judgment.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
However, recent changes in how federal agencies interpret existing employment law, combined with outdated, poorly drafted or “boilerplate” policies, can turn your employee handbook into a recipe for costly litigation. Likewise, a poorly drafted non-compete agreement that is found to be unenforceable, can result in the loss of business, customers and trade secrets. Learning the “ugly truth” about these issues can go a long way in avoiding even uglier litigation. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b style="text-align: center;">II.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>EMPLOYEE HANDBOOKS</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b>A.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Ugly Truth #1</b></span><b>: The Best Employee Handbook in the World Will </b><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Not</b></span><b> Prevent a Lawsuit (but a Bad One Could Help the Plaintiff Win).</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
Every business is different, and there is no “one-size-fits-all” employee handbook. Your handbook should directly reflect how your company actually operates, its culture and its expectations. As such, avoid using a handbook you found on the internet that contains provisions and policies that have nothing to do with your business or contains rules you will not actually follow or enforce. Revise or replace outdated handbooks. Keep your handbook concise, avoid legal terminology and use language that your employees will understand. The basics of what you <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>should</b></span> include are as follows:</div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>Include an At-Will Disclaimer.</u></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
Mississippi is an at-will employment state, as is the case in most states. At-will employment means the employee works for the employer at the employer’s will. The employer may terminate the employment relationship for good reason, bad reason, or no reason at all. Likewise, the employee can terminate the relationship at any time. However, in the case <i>Bobbitt v. The Orchard, Ltd.</i>, 603 So. 2d 356 (Miss. 1992), the Mississippi Supreme Court held that if a handbook contains detailed policies and procedures to be followed when terminating an employee, it can create an employment contract, destroy the at-will relationship, and expose an employer to a breach of employment contract claim if the employer did not follow its own procedures in terminating the employee. However, if the handbook disclaimer expressly provides that the employment relationship is at-will and can be terminated at any time, the employer has not waived the right to unilaterally terminate the employee by setting forth a grievance process in the manual.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal;">▪<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>The disclaimer should be clear and conspicuous. Disclaimer language should also be included in all other documents given to the employees, such as job applications, profit sharing plans, and memoranda regarding employment benefits.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal;">▪<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>The language should make clear that the employee’s employment is terminable at will, and that nothing in the handbook should be construed to alter the at-will relationship. Avoid “contract-like” language.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal;">▪<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>The disclaimer should express that nothing in the handbook should be construed as creating a contractual relationship or as implying a guarantee of continued employment or benefits. Use “may” and avoid “will” or “shall” or any language that suggests the company is promising to do something or confer specific benefits. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal;">▪<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>The disclaimer should make clear that the employee handbook provides only general guidelines as to company policy and should not be read as including the fine details of company policy or procedure. The employee should be directed to appropriate management personnel for more information regarding particular policies. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal;">▪<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Handbook language should reserve the company’s right to change, modify, supplement or revoke its policies at any time, with or without notice to the employee. Although employers should keep employee handbooks up to date to accurately reflect company policy, disclaimer language should caution employees that changes in policy are not dependent upon the changes being reflected in a revised handbook. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b><u>Equal Employment Opportunity Statement and Anti-Discrimination / Harassment /Retaliation Policy.</u></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal;">▪<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Statement that employer will comply with applicable federal and state law and provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other protected category.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal;">▪<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Definitions of discrimination, harassment, retaliation.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal;">▪<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Requirement that employees report to his/her supervisor or HR any complaints of unlawful conduct, without fear of retaliation.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal;">▪<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Specific reporting instructions, that allow employee to bypass supervisors who may be the source of the unlawful conduct.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal;">▪<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Statement as to company’s investigatory process for complaints and corrective/disciplinary action for unlawful conduct.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal;">▪<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Effective policy can provide valuable legal defense.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; line-height: normal;">▪<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Include policy regarding consensual workplace romantic relationships.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b><u>Americans With Disabilities Act (“ADA”).</u></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
Prohibits<b> </b>discrimination and ensures equal opportunity and access for persons with disabilities. The ADA also requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations, <i>i.e.</i>, changes to the workplace or job -- to allow employees with disabilities to do their jobs. The ADA, like other federal employment statutes, anticipates an interactive process between the employee and the employer to reach a reasonable accommodation, and for this reason, it needs to be in your handbook so that your employees are made aware of the need to initiate the process with their employer.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b><u>Pregnancy Discrimination Act (“PDA”).</u></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
The PDA amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to "prohibit sex discrimination on the basis of pregnancy." The Act covers discrimination "on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions."</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b><u>Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”).</u></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take up to twelve weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b><u>Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”).</u></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
The FLSA establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor standards affecting full-time and part-time workers in the private sector and in Federal, State, and local governments.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b><u>Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (“USERRA”).</u></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
Protects the right of employees to be reemployed in their civilian job if they leave that job to perform service in the military service and protects service members from employment discrimination and/or retaliation based on their military service.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b><u>Code of Conduct / Discipline Policy.</u></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
Outline acceptable workplace conduct, and unacceptable conduct that will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. In listing examples of unacceptable conduct, e.g. theft, false reporting of time worked, threats of violence, make it clear that it is not an exclusive or complete list. While the policy should retain the right to use warnings or progressive discipline at the discretion of the employee, it also should state that an employee may be subject to immediate termination for inappropriate conduct or violations of workplace policies. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b><u>Benefits.</u></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
Outline policies and eligibility regarding vacations, 401(k), health insurance, paid leave or other benefits to employees. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b><u>Include Handbook Acknowledgment Form.</u></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
A common claim by plaintiffs in employment litigation is that they were unaware of the workplace policy that they violated, or that they had never seen or been given a copy of the employee handbook. Every handbook should include an acknowledgment form to be signed by the employee, attesting that they have received a copy of the handbook, acknowledging their responsibility to read and comply with the policies contained in the handbook, including any future revisions, and acknowledging their at-will employment status. This can be done using a hard copy form to be put in the employee’s personnel file, or in the case of a handbook that is on-line or on the company’s intranet, it can be a digital form which the employee electronically signs. A signed copy of an acknowledgment form can be a valuable exhibit when a plaintiff claims in a deposition that he was never given a handbook or had no knowledge of the policy which he violated and which resulted in his or her termination.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b><u>Train Your Managers / Inconsistent Enforcement Can Result in Discrimination Claims.</u></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
Don’t assume that your managers and supervisors will always act in accordance with the policies in your handbook. Make sure they receive regular training on handbook policies so that they are implemented correctly and effectively. Once trained, management and supervisors should periodically review handbook policies to assess whether they are being applied consistently. Inconsistent enforcement of policies could result in claims of discrimination. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b>B.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Ugly Truth #2</b></span><b>: Many Commonly Utilized Handbook Policies Now Expose Employers to Liability Courtesy of the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”).</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) is the federal agency responsible for enforcing labor law in relation to union election, collective bargaining agreements between unions and employers, and unfair labor practices. Unbeknownst to many employers, the National Labor Relation’s Act’s (“NLRA”) prohibition against unfair labor practices also extends to non-union employers. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
In recent years, the NLRB has taken a highly aggressive position against many commonly utilized employee handbook policies. The NLRB alleges that overbroad employment policies could have a chilling effect on employees’ concerted activities protected by Section 7 of the NLRA. Generally speaking, there is protected concerted activity when two or more employees act together to improve their terms and conditions of employment. Employees have a right to advocate in this manner even where there is no union involved. Under the NLRB’s recent interpretive guidelines, an employer’s policy will violate the NLRA if it could simply be “construed” as restricting Section 7 rights. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
On this basis, the NLRB has been asserting unfair labor practice complaints against employers across the country for handbook policies that are commonly utilized. Examples of handbook policies that the NLRB finds could be construed as restricting Section 7 rights include the following:</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><b>Policies against “personal business” on company property and “while at work.” </b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 72px; text-align: justify;">
[NLRB Position: The prohibition against conducting “personal business” on company property and “while at work” can reasonably be read to restrict the communications of employees with each other about union or other Section 7 protected rights in non-work areas and on non-work time.]</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 72px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><b>No "[d]efamatory, libelous, slanderous or discriminatory comments about [the Company], its customers and/or competitors, its employees or management.</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 72px; text-align: justify;">
[NLRB Position<b>: </b>Employees have the Section 7 right to criticize or protest their employer's labor policies or treatment of employees. Thus, rules that can reasonably be read to prohibit protected concerted criticism of the employer will be found unlawfully over broad.]</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 72px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><b>Policies against employees discussing or disclosing wages.</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 72px; text-align: justify;">
[NLRB Position<b>: </b>Employees have a Section 7 right to discuss wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment with fellow employees, as well as with nonemployees, such as union representatives.]</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 72px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><b>"You must not disclose proprietary or confidential information about [the Employer, or] other associates (if the proprietary or confidential information relating to [the Employer's] associates was obtained in violation of law or lawful Company policy)."</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 72px; text-align: justify;">
[NLRB Position: “Although this rule's restriction on disclosing information about "other associates" is not a blanket ban, it is nonetheless unlawfully overbroad because a reasonable employee would not understand how the employer determines what constitutes a "lawful Company policy."]</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
On the same basis, the NLRB also has been filing unfair labor practice complaints against employers’ because of their social media policies that impose discipline on employees for disparaging comments made about their employers or supervisors on their personal Facebook pages or other social media.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
There has been an expectation among employers that with a new administration, and with the NLRB soon to have its full complement of Republican members, that the Board might relax its position. However, as recently as late April 2017, an NLRB judge ruled against Verizon Wireless, ordering it to strike ten of its employee handbook policies on the basis that they violated the NLRA because they could be construed in such a way to “chill” an employee’s right to engage in protected concerted activity.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
In another recent case, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York affirmed the NLRB’s controversial ruling against Whole Foods’ policy against employees from making workplace recordings. The Second Circuit agreed with the NLRB’s position that the rule could be construed as blocking workers from recording activity protected by the National Labor Relations Act.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
The NLRB has published guidelines to assist employers in drafting handbook provisions that will withstand scrutiny, but the difference between what the NLRB considers a lawful handbook policy and what it considers an unfair labor practice is fairly subtle. Some points to consider:</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><b>Have your policy acknowledge the law. </b>One way to ensure that your handbook/social media policy is not considered invalid on its face is to include protective language which states the policy will be applied and enforced consistent with the NLRA and any other applicable local, state or federal laws.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><b>Avoid overly broad language. </b>While employers may want to have a policy that would address every conceivable situation that might arise, such a strategy runs the risk of being considered invalid under the NLRA. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><b>Have handbook policies reviewed for legal compliance.</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><b>Review Internet/social media policies yearly.</b> Social media and its technology is constantly changing, and the statutory and case law governing its use in the workplace is also evolving. It is wise to make sure employment policies keep pace.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b>C.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Ugly Truth #3</b></span><b>: Not Reasonably Accommodating the Religious Beliefs of Employees Can Be Unreasonably Expensive.</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
In any handbook, there will always be some generally applicable rules, such as dress and grooming policies or work schedules, that have the potential to raise a conflict with an employee’s religious belief or practice. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 places a duty on the employer to engage in an interactive process with the employee, to reach a reasonable accommodation that does not impose an undue hardship on the employer. For this reason, a handbook should contain language stating that reasonable accommodation for religious beliefs or practices may be sought, and the procedures for making such a request. Generally, these issues are relatively easy to address. When not handled correctly, they can be costly. This is illustrated in two recent cases.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
In <i>EEOC v. Consol Energy, Inc., </i>(N.D. W.Va) an employer’s use of a high-tech device to stay in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) resulted in a large dollar jury verdict in a religious discrimination case brought by the EEOC. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
Consol operated a coal mine in West Virginia, and utilized a biometric hand scanning system to track employee work hours for purposes of payroll and FLSA compliance. One employee, Christian Beverly Butcher, told his supervisor that he could not comply with the hand scanning policy because he believed the technology has a connection to the “mark of the beast” and the Antichrist, as alluded to in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Bible.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
As a proposed reasonable accommodation, the company offered to allow Butcher to scan his left hand with his palm up, which he declined. Butcher resigned, stating that he was doing so involuntarily. He brought his complaint to the EEOC, which filed suit on his behalf against the company, alleging that Consol had violated Title VII by failing to reasonably accommodate Butcher’s sincerely held religious beliefs.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
A federal judge in West Virginia denied Consol’s effort to have the lawsuit dismissed, and a jury later ruled in Butcher’s favor and awarded $150,000.00 in compensatory damages. The EEOC later filed a post-trial motion seeking an additional $413,000 in front and backpay. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
The other case involves a very expensive flu shot. In <i>EEOC v. Saint Vincent Health Center</i> (W.D. Pa.), the EEOC sued a Pennsylvania hospital on behalf of six employees over its mandatory seasonal flu vaccination requirement. The lawsuit alleged that the employees were terminated because the hospital refused to accommodate their religious objections to the vaccinations. The case did not go to trial but the hospital ended up paying a $300,000 settlement and entering into a consent decree requiring changes to their policies and requiring mandatory training for supervisors as to accommodating religious beliefs.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b>D.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Ugly Truth #4</b></span><b>: Gun Policies Can Be a Loaded Legal Issue.</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
In light of incidents of workplace violence nationwide, many employers have handbook policies that ban employees from having firearms on company property, including in their vehicle in the parking lot. However, in Mississippi, this creates a tension with a state law, and it already has resulted in litigation. Miss. Code Ann. § 45-9-55 provides in part, that:</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 57.6px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: justify;">
[A] public or private employer may not establish, maintain, or enforce any policy or rule that has the effect of prohibiting a person from transporting or storing a firearm in a locked vehicle in any parking lot, parking garage, or other designated parking area.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal;">
The law does provide an exception where: </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 57.6px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: justify;">
A private employer may prohibit an employee from transporting or storing a firearm in a vehicle in a parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area the employer provides for employees <b>to which access is restricted or limited through the use of a gate, security station or other means of restricting or limiting general public access onto the property. </b>(emphasis added).</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
However, employers need to be aware that courts have taken a very strict interpretation of this statute, and that to have such a policy under the exception, the employer has to strictly comply with the access restrictions described in the statute.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
It bears mention that it is completely within an employer’s rights to prohibit employees from having guns on their persons in the workplace. The lesson here for employers, is that if you want to have a handbook policy prohibiting employees from having access to firearms in their vehicles, you have to have or build the restrictive structures required under the statute.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b>E.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Ugly Truth #5</b></span><b>: Prepare for the Inevitable Cyber-Breach!</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
It is now common to read news stories about big companies being hacked, and the personal information of customers and employees being stolen. The reality is that any size company can be a target and the result can be costly. So what does this have to do with employee handbooks? The cyber security firm Experian Data Breach Resolution estimates that about 80% of the breaches they service can be traced to employee negligence. Employees need to be made aware of your company’s internal network security. Some points to include:</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Employees should use strong passwords that are not shared and regularly changed.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Phishing -- Employees should not trust emails asking for sensitive information even if an email appears to come from a reliable or authoritative source and unknown attachments or links should not be opened.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>No downloading of unauthorized software or apps on company computers or devices.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>USB and other non-company devices should be prohibited or screened for security issues before being plugged into a company machine.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Parameters for accessing and sharing of company data. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Dangers of unsecured networks/public Wi-Fi.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>BYOD policies should reflect employer’s cyber security policies.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Any suspected breach should be reported immediately and reporting protocols should be clear.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
While not something that needs to be included in an employee handbook, employers should be aware that many states have laws that require the reporting of cyber breaches if it results in the compromise of the personal information of customers, employees or others. For example, in Mississippi, notice requirements are governed by Miss. Code. Ann. § 75-24-29 (Persons conducting business in Mississippi required to provide notice of a breach of security involving personal information to all affected individuals), and in Louisiana, it is governed by RS 51:3071 (Database Security Breach Notification Law). </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><b>DTSA Whistleblower Language.</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
In 2016, President Obama signed into law the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (“DTSA”), allowing businesses nationwide to file suit in federal court to protect their trade secrets from unscrupulous former employees and dishonest business competitors. The law passed with strong bipartisan support in Congress. Prior to the enactment of the DTSA, companies were limited to seeking relief in state courts, where the law can vary from state-to-state. DTSA contains an immunity provision to protect individuals from criminal or civil liability for disclosing a trade secret if it is made in confidence to a government official or to an attorney for the purpose of reporting a violation of law.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
However, to take full advantage of the protections provided employers under the law, the DTSA places an affirmative duty on employers to provide employees notice of the new immunity or “whistleblower” provision in “any contract or agreement with an employee that governs the use of a trade secret or other confidential information.” Failure to provide this notice will prevent a company from being able to recover exemplary damages and attorneys’ fees in any lawsuit brought under the DTSA. In anticipation of the future need to exercise rights under the DTSA, employers should immediately begin integrating such language into company documents such as, but not limited to, employment agreements, independent contractor agreements, employee handbooks, offer letters, non-compete/non-solicitation agreements, non-disclosure/confidentiality agreements, invention and assignment agreements, and return of property agreements.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b style="text-align: center;">III.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>NON-COMPETE AGREEMENTS</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b>F.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Ugly Truth #6</b></span><b>: A Completely Unenforceable Non-Compete Agreement Can Be Effective . . . Right Up Until It Actually Needs to Be Enforced.</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
A non-compete agreement is pretty self-explanatory. It’s an agreement between an employer and an employee, where the employee agrees not to work for a competitor or start his own competing business for a set period of time after leaving his employment with the company. Employers often require employees to sign non-compete agreements at the start of their employment to protect against a former employee gaining a competitive edge through inside knowledge of their former employer’s trade secrets, customer lists, marketing plans or other confidential information. It’s estimated that 40% of American workers have been subject to a non-compete agreement at some time in their work history. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
Non-compete agreements usually also contain non-solicitation provisions, where former employees agree not to contact their former customers, or try to hire their former co-workers for a set period of time. Non-compete agreements also usually contain confidentiality agreements, where the former employees agree to not disclose or utilize their former employer’s trade secrets or other confidential or proprietary information.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
The dirty secret of non-competes is that even unenforceable agreements can be effective, because the average employee who signs one at the beginning of their employment, along with the other pile of papers they are handed, assumes it is enforceable, and abides by its terms. The real trouble occurs when a valuable former employee, who can do real damage to your business and customer base, quits and goes to work for a competitor. That is a bad time to find out whether or not you can enforce your non-compete agreement.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
In Mississippi and most other states, these type of “restrictive employment covenants” are generally not favored, because they are a restraint on free trade, but will be enforced by the courts if the terms of the agreement are reasonable under the particular circumstances. Generally, there are three requirements: (1) the employer has a valid business interest to protect; (2) the geographic restriction is not overly broad; and (3) a reasonable time limit is given. The employer bears the burden of proving the reasonableness of the agreement. The reason these types of agreements are construed very narrowly is that most courts recognize that an employer is not entitled to protection against ordinary competition from a departing employee.”</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
So what is a “valid business interest” that an employer is entitled to protect with a non-compete agreement? In Mississippi, examples of protectable business interests include trade secrets, confidential information, proprietary information, customer lists, vendor relationships, business practices, and the employer's investment in training and education of an employee. Mississippi courts have enforced covenants not to compete when former employees who, like Banks, have peculiar knowledge of and relationships with the employer's customers and vendors. </div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
When is a geographic restriction reasonable and when is it overly broad? It depends on the business and the circumstances. For some companies, restricting a former employee from competing in a three county area may be a reasonable restriction to protect the company’s valid business interests, and restricting the former employee from competing anywhere in the state of Mississippi would clearly be unreasonable. However, in the instance of an internet-based tech company that has a nationwide customer base, a much larger geographic restriction might be reasonable under the circumstances. In Mississippi, time restrictions from one to two years will almost always be enforceable.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
Non-compete agreements are typically governed by state law, which can vary depending on where you live or operate a business. For instance, in the state of Georgia, a non-compete agreement will be enforced only if the employee possesses selective or specialized skills, abilities, customer contacts, customer information, and confidential information that that they have obtained as the result of working for the company. In Tennessee, Texas and Maryland, such agreements are enforceable only against employees who had access to or were entrusted with the employer’s trade secrets or other confidential or proprietary information. In other states, such as California, non-compete agreements are generally unenforceable.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
Courts are reluctant to enforce non-compete agreements if they deprive a former employee of the ability to make a living, especially if the employee is a low level employee without any access to trade secrets or confidential information. This was illustrated a few years ago by the sandwich shop chain Jimmy John’s. Jimmy John’s attracted some unwelcome attention by requiring low-level employees to sign two-year non-compete agreements as a condition of employment. After the story first broke nationally, Congressional Democrats sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”), describing the restrictive covenants as “clearly anti-competitive and intimidating to workers.” The House Democrats asked for the FTC and the DOL to investigate the sandwich chain.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
The Attorney General of Illinois subsequently filed a lawsuit against Jimmy John’s, alleging the sandwich maker’s non-compete agreements were illegal under Illinois law “[b]y locking low-wage workers into their jobs and prohibiting them from seeking better paying jobs elsewhere, the companies have no reason to increase their wages or benefits.” Under Illinois law, non-compete agreements must be premised on a legitimate business interest and narrowly tailored in terms of time, activity and place. The State of New York was apparently about to take similar legal action, however, Jimmy John’s reached an agreement with New York’s Attorney General, in which the sandwich chain agreed to stop including sample non-compete agreements in the hiring packets it sends to its franchisees. In addition, the company subjected itself to a lot of bad publicity. Illinois’s Governor subsequently signed into law the “Illinois Freedom to Work Act”, which went into effect on January 1, 2017. The Act prohibits employers from requiring employees to sign non-compete agreements if they make less than $13 per hour.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
In most matters involving the successful enforcement of non-compete agreements, the employees in question were either highly trained individuals in technical or creative fields, with direct access to their employer’s trade secrets, or were high level sales people with similar access to confidential customer information. It is a very unlikely scenario where a fast food employer would legitimately need to have a crew worker enter into a non-compete agreement, no matter how good the sandwich. So, in crafting an enforceable non-compete agreement, here are some points to remember:</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Be realistic.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Pointless to have a low level unskilled employee sign a non-compete.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Non-compete agreements should be confined to key employees, sales people or executives whose knowledge of trade secrets and other confidential information, or their relationships with customers, could cause serious damage if they went to work for a competitor.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>“What is our business, and what are we really trying to protect?” – Narrowly tailored non-compete agreements are more effective and more likely to be enforced by the court.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Articulate valid business interests to be protected in a way that is rational and reasonable as opposed to vindictive retribution against former employees.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Non-solicitation provisions and who owns social media?</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Pay attention to differences in state law.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Non-compete / trade secret litigation very expensive – Actual damage?</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b>G.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></b><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>Ugly Truth #7</b></span><b>: Ignoring a Non-Compete Agreement Can Get You Sued.</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
Not surprisingly, when a company finds out that a competitor has hired a former employee, they want to take legal action in support of the non-compete agreement signed by the former employee. However, oftentimes, those very same companies can be very casual about wanting to hire top performers who formerly worked for their competitors, and who also are subject to a non-compete agreement. This can expose the company to a lawsuit for tortious interference with contract. To prove such a claim, the other company would have to show (1) the acts were intentional and willful; (2) their acts were calculated to cause damage to its lawful business; (3) the acts were done with the unlawful purpose of causing damage and loss, without right or justifiable cause; and (4) actual damage and loss resulted.” Before you hire that employee, here are a few important steps to take:</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Expressly ask the prospective employee if they are subject to a non-compete agreement or any other restrictive covenant from their former employer, and obtain a copy for legal review.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>Any offer letter or employment contract to be signed by the employee should contain a statement attesting that they are not bound by a restrictive covenant.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: normal;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span>A statement attesting that they have not retained any confidential information from their former employer and will not utilize or disclose any such information during the course and scope of their employment with your company.</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
<b style="text-align: center;">IV.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>CONCLUSION</b></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36px;">
Employee handbooks and non-compete agreements are valuable tools in effectively running your company and protecting your valid interests. Careful attention to tailoring both to your particular business is the best way to avoid a recipe for litigation.</div>
</ol>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-4621259616178801452017-06-27T13:18:00.008-05:002024-01-25T15:38:20.553-06:00Employers Welcome the Return of DOL Wage and Hour Opinion Letters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<br />
<div align="justify"><span style="color: #282525; text-align: left;">The U.S.
Department of Labor has announced it will reinstate the issuance of opinion
letters by its Wage and Hour Division. The announcement by U.S. Secretary of
Labor Alexander Acosta is a welcome development for employers, who had
previously relied on these interpretive opinions in deciphering and complying
with the oftentimes confusing requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act
(“FLSA”).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span face=""arial narrow" , "sans-serif"" style="color: #282525;">An
opinion letter is an official, written opinion by the Wage and Hour Division of
how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by an
employer, employee or other entity requesting the opinion. The letters were a
Division practice for more than 70 years until being discontinued in 2009
by the Obama administration, and replaced in 2010 by more generalized
interpretations, as opposed to the highly fact specific opinion letters. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span face=""arial narrow" , "sans-serif"" style="color: #282525;">“Reinstating
opinion letters will benefit employees and employers as they provide a means by
which both can develop a clearer understanding of the Fair Labor Standards Act
and other statutes,” said Secretary Acosta. “The U.S. Department of Labor is
committed to helping employers and employees clearly understand their labor
responsibilities so employers can concentrate on doing what they do best:
growing their businesses and creating jobs.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""arial narrow" , "sans-serif"" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span face=""arial narrow" , "sans-serif"" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;">The Wage and Hours Division has established a <a href="https://www.dol.gov/whd/opinion/"><span style="color: #80225f;">webpage</span></a></span><span face=""arial narrow" , "sans-serif"" style="color: #80225f; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span face=""arial narrow" , "sans-serif"" style="color: #282525; font-size: 12pt;">where employers can request an opinion letter or
review other agency guidance regarding FLSA compliance.</span></div>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-10718151352304115652017-02-17T10:31:00.006-06:002024-01-25T15:33:39.238-06:00Smells like a Lawsuit . . . Odor Sensitivity under the ADA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
An Illinois federal judge has
rejected an employee’s disability discrimination lawsuit, in which the employee
claimed her employer failed to reasonably accommodate her odor sensitivity
as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While employers have a legal duty to
reasonably accommodate such a disability, this case highlights that there is a
limit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
As noted in the U.S. District Court’s opinion in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.disabilityleavelaw.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/173/2017/02/Alanis-v.-Metra.pdf">Alanis
v. Metra</a></i>, Plaintiff Elda Alanis had worked for the company for approximately
ten years, when she experienced difficulty breathing in the workplace, and
claimed not to be able to speak, and would only communicate via text message or
on handwritten notes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
Alanis took FMLA leave and following a psychological
evaluation, ultimately returned to the workplace with a diagnosis of fragrance sensitivity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among Alanis’s multiple accommodation
requests was for “a fragrance-free workplace.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In response, the company <span style="color: black; font-family: "century schoolbook" , "serif"; letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">agreed
to take actions to reduce workplace odors, which included changing the cleaning
solutions in the restrooms, instructing staff to use only the approved cleaning
solutions, instructing staff to refrain from wearing strong fragrances, and
moving Alanis’s workspace to a cubicle farther away from the refrigerator and
microwave (one source of the odors she was complaining about). Alanis also was
instructed to promptly notify the company if any other fragrance issues arose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The company also granted Alanis’s requests
for a relaxed dress code, not having to talk while symptomatic, and rest breaks
away from her work station, but did not agree to all the accommodations sought
by Alanis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "century schoolbook" , "serif"; letter-spacing: -0.05pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In dismissing Alanis’s ADA failure
to accommodate claim, the District Court noted that the ADA only requires an
employer to make reasonable accommodations to a disabled employee’s limitations,
and employer are not required to provide the particular accommodation that an
employee requests. Instead, the employer may choose what accommodation to
provide, so long as it effectively accommodates the employee’s limitations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The District Court held the company’s accommodations
in regard to Alanis were reasonable:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div style="border: 1pt solid rgb(79, 129, 189); margin-left: 0.8in; margin-right: 0.8in; mso-border-alt: solid #4F81BD .5pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 10pt;">
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">Once Metra learned that
the changes it made to accommodate Alanis did not eliminate her symptoms, Metra
invited Alanis to notify it of any odor issues contemporaneously so that the
source could be investigated. When Alanis did report an issue, Thomas
intervened on Alanis’s behalf and reminded the relevant staff member of the
fragrance-free workplace requirement. The record shows that Metra made
reasonable efforts to provide (and police where necessary) the accommodations
it agreed to provide Alanis. That Metra could not guarantee a fragrance-free
environment for Alanis does not constitute an adverse action<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
<br />
The District Court’s ruling is line with similar cases
around the county in which ADA claims were dismissed because a an employee’s request
for a fragrance-free or odorless workplace was held to be unreasonable and not
feasible.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
Fragrance or odor sensitivity clearly qualifies as disability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission takes
the position that under the ADA, an employee may be disabled if a workplace
odor causes asthma or causes an otherwise normal reaction or allergy to become
severe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finding a reasonable and
realistic accommodation is best accomplished through engaging in an interactive
discussion with the employee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Depending on the position and job responsibilities,
allowing the employee to telecommute or work from home might be a reasonable
accommodation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->For employees who are sensitive to certain
workplace odors, changing their workplace/office locations to an area of less
exposure could be a reasonable accommodation. Workplace odors triggering a
medical condition also may be more generalized, such as the odors from copy
machines or printers or from cleaning products.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A perfume/cologne free policy can be a
reasonable accommodation. While other employees may find it unreasonable, wearing
perfume or cologne in the workplace is not a protected right.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
</div>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-37849991957676500012017-01-04T10:24:00.006-06:002024-01-25T15:34:31.562-06:00THE $300,000 FLU SHOT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<br />
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
While getting a flu shot may
result in a temporarily sore arm, a Pennsylvania hospital is feeling some significant
financial pain in its bank account after settling a lawsuit over its mandatory
flu shot policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
As first reported <a href="http://theemployeewiththedragontattoo.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-eeoc-catches-flu-bug.html">here</a>
back in October 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has
filed lawsuits nationwide against healthcare facilities which require that their
employees receive seasonal flu vaccines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The EEOC’s position is that such policies violate Title VII of the Civil
Rights Act (“Title VII”) by failing to accommodate the religious beliefs of healthcare
employees.<br />
<o:p></o:p> </div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
As previously reported, one of
the hospitals being sued by the EEOC was Pennsylvania-based Saint Vincent
Health Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On December 23, 2016, Saint
Vincent agreed to settle the EEOC lawsuit for $300,000, which includes back pay
and compensatory damages to six former employees who were fired for failing to
comply with the hospital’s policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
settlement also requires offers of reinstatement to the six employees, and
includes a consent decree requiring injunctive relief.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
To recap the facts of the lawsuit,
the EEOC alleged that in October 2013, Saint Vincent implemented a mandatory
seasonal flu vaccination requirement for its employees unless they were granted
an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Under the policy, employees who
received an exemption were required to wear a face mask while having patient
contact during flu season in lieu of receiving the vaccination. Employees who
refused the vaccine but were not granted an exemption by the Health Center were
fired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
From October 2013 to January
2014, the six employees identified in the EEOC’s lawsuit t requested religious
exemptions from the flu vaccination requirement based on sincerely held
religious beliefs, and the Health Center denied their requests. When the
employees continued to refuse the vaccine based on their religious beliefs, they
were terminated. In its lawsuit, the EEOC stressed that during the same period,
the hospital granted fourteen (14) vaccination exemption requests based on
medical reasons while denying all religion-based exemption requests.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
<br />
Under the consent decree, if Saint
Vincent chooses to require employee influenza vaccination as a condition of
employment, it must grant exemptions from that requirement to all employees
with sincerely held religious beliefs who request exemption from the
vaccination on religious grounds unless such exemption poses an undue hardship
on the Health Center's operations, and it must also notify employees of their
right to request religious exemption and establish appropriate procedures for
considering any such accommodation requests. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
The decree also requires that
when considering requests for religious accommodation, the Health Center must
adhere to the definition of "religion" established by Title VII and
controlling federal court decisions, a definition that forbids employers from
rejecting accommodation requests based on their disagreement with an employee's
belief; their opinion that the belief is unfounded, illogical, or inconsistent
in some way; or their conclusion that an employee's belief is not an official
tenet or endorsed teaching of any particular religion or denomination. The
decree further requires that Saint Vincent provide training regarding Title VII
reasonable accommodation to its key personnel and that it maintain reasonable
accommodation policies and accommodation request procedures that reflect Title
VII requirements.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
<br />
Does this mean mandatory
vaccination policies at healthcare facilities are prohibited?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the EEOC’s Philadelphia District
regional attorney, Debra M. Lawrence:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div style="border: 1pt solid rgb(79, 129, 189); margin-left: 0.8in; margin-right: 0.8in; mso-border-alt: solid #4F81BD .25pt; mso-border-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 10pt;">
<div class="MsoBlockText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
While
Title VII does not prohibit health care employers from adopting seasonal flu
vaccination requirements for their workers, those requirements, like any other
employment rules, are subject to the employer's Title VII duty to provide
reasonable accommodation for religion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
that context, reasonable accommodation means granting religious exemptions to
employees with sincerely held religious beliefs against vaccination when such
exemptions do not create an undue hardship on the employer's operations.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
<br />
However, reasonably
accommodating healthcare employees who have direct contact with patients may be
easier said than done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the flu is highly contagious and
people with flu can spread it to others up to about 6 feet away. Most experts
think that flu viruses are spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu
cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people
who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Less often, a person
might also get flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and
then touching their own mouth or nose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
While the effects of the flu on
most people are not life-threatening, the CDCP notes that severe cases of the
flu can result in death for some people, such as the elderly, young children,
and persons with certain health conditions, including weakened immune systems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The consent decree does allow Saint Vincent to
adopt on-the-job precautions to avoid the transmission of the flu to its
patients by employees who have been granted a religious exemption.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="justify">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-17626178365527991892016-12-20T12:14:00.006-06:002024-01-25T15:33:57.499-06:00EMPLOYMENT LAW AND A NEW ADMINISTRATION<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
One of the biggest employment
law developments of 2016 will carry over into 2017 <u>and</u> a new
administration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Employers nationwide
spent much of the past year preparing for the December 1, 2016 implementation
of the Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) Final Rule, bumping the minimum salary
level for white collar exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act
("FLSA") from $23,660 annually ($455 per week) to $47,476 annually
($913 per week).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, just days
before this key initiative of the Obama administration was to go into effect, a
federal judge in Texas issued a <a href="http://theemployeewiththedragontattoo.blogspot.com/2016/11/surprise-flsa-ruling.html">nationwide
preliminary injunction</a>, finding the DOL had likely exceeded its authority
under the FLSA. While breathing a sigh of relief, employers were left wondering
what would happen next.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
Current Labor Secretary Thomas
Perez has since appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Fifth Circuit, seeking expedited review.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, even under the expedited <a href="http://www.natlawreview.com/article/fifth-circuit-expedites-dol-s-appeal-involving-overtime-rule">briefing
schedule</a> set by the Fifth Circuit, oral argument would not take place until
at least February 2017, which would be after Donald Trump takes office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would allow the DOL, under Trump’s
expected Labor Secretary Andy Puzder, to abandon the appeal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Puzder, who is the current CEO of the parent company
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., has gone
on record as to his strong <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/get-there/wp/2016/12/08/trump-names-andrew-puzder-a-fast-food-ceo-and-critic-of-substantially-raising-the-minimum-wage-to-head-the-labor-department/?utm_term=.571c5bab94fc">opposition</a>
to the DOL’s overtime rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">My first prediction of 2017 is the Final Rule and its increased minimum
salary requirement never goes into effect. Not surprisingly, Puzder also
opposes efforts to increase the minimum hourly wage to $15, claiming such a significant
increase would hasten the move to <a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161215/business/312159993/">automation</a>
in the fast food industry and cost jobs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">In these waning days of 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”)
offered guidance to employers as to the rights of employees with <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/mental_health.cfm">mental
illnesses</a> under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and issued </span>updated
<a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/national-origin-guidance.cfm">enforcement
guidelines</a> on national origin discrimination, including <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/national-origin-qa.cfm">question and
answer guidance</a> and advice for <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/national-origin-factsheet.cfm">small
businesses</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Generally, national origin discrimination refers
to: (a) treating an individual less favorably because he or she is from a
certain place or has the physical, cultural, or linguistic characteristics of a
particular national origin (ethnic) group; or (b) using an employment policy or
practice that disproportionately impacts people on the basis of national origin
and is not shown to be job related and consistent with business necessity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
President Trump also will be
putting his stamp on the EEOC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
previously <a href="http://theemployeewiththedragontattoo.blogspot.com/2014/08/mad-men-eeoc-advertises-its-aggressive.html">reported</a>,
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>over the last eight years, the EEOC has
taken a very aggressive posture toward employers, including lawsuits against
companies over criminal background checks and separation agreements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The EEOC’s actions and litigation conduct
earned it some harsh words and harsh rulings from a number of federal courts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;">
President Trump will select a
new EEOC Chairman and a new EEOC General Counsel in 2017, both of whom will set
the tone and agenda of the agency going forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the Trump administration’s focus on
reducing regulations faced by businesses, one target could be recent major
revisions to the Employer Information Report (EEO-1).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a focus on equal pay issues, the new
form will require employers to list employee pay and hours by categories of
sex, race and ethnicity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The regulations
are slated to go into effect in March 2018, but under a new administration,
could be revised or even abandoned.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5046482640333324228.post-88740875998296559082016-11-28T09:09:00.003-06:002024-01-25T15:38:44.737-06:00SURPRISE RULING ON FLSA OVERTIME RULE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">It continues to be a season of surprises
in American politics . . . and in employment law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who would ever have thought that a federal
judge, appointed by President Obama, would throw a money wrench in a key
initiative of the Obama Department of Labor?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Not me</u></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>incorrectly</u></b>
predicted in my <a href="http://theemployeewiththedragontatt00.blogspot.com/2016/11/ruling-expected-next-week-in-legal.html">November
18, 2016 article</a>, I fully expected U.S. District Judge <span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Amos L. Mazzant III to shoot down an injunction aimed at
blocking the December 1, 2016 implementation of the DOL’s Final Rule, bumping
the minimum salary level for white collar exemptions under the Fair Labor
Standards Act ("FLSA") from $23,660 annually ($455 per week) to
$47,476 annually ($913 per week). </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">What instead happened was that Judge
Mazzant entered a nationwide preliminary injunction on November 22, 2016, blocking
for now the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) from implementing significant
changes to the overtime rules applicable to white collar employees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ruling out of the U.S. District Court for
the Eastern District of Texas held that the DOL most likely exceeded its
authority by doubling the salary requirement, which would have rendered
essentially meaningless the duties test, which is actually written into the
FLSA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman";">The issuance of an
injunction means that implementation and enforcement of the Final Rule by the
DOL is just on hold until further notice by the Court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The DOL has not yet announced whether it
intends to appeal the ruling, and it remains to be seen if the Trump
administration would have any interest in trying to implement a Rule so
unpopular within the business community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another potential option might be a revised Rule that would include a
smaller increase in the minimum salary requirement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">What I think I <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>did</u></b> get correct was my observation that “<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">[i]f the unlikely actually happens, I expect an enormous
sigh of relief from many employers, tinged with annoyance and aggravation over
six months spent preparing for a rule that never went into effect.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Annoyance aside, what should employers do at
this point?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman";">In expectation of the
December 1, 2016 deadline, many employers had bumped employee salaries to meet
the new requirement, and many more had simply adjusted hour wages and work
schedules in an effort to reduce overtime or keep actual wages approximately
the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As reported in the <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/overtime-pay-rule-to-go-into-effect-but-may-not-last-1479810612">Wall
Street Journal</a>, businesses are now faced with the difficult decision of
either walking back pay increases they had already put in place, resulting in
angry employees, or eating the expense of changes made in anticipation of a now
uncertain requirement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman";">There is no right or wrong
answer, and employers will have to look at a number of factors in making their
decision for their particular business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These factors include, but are not limited to: </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">(1) whether the employer has already
begun implementation of salary/exemption changes, (2) whether the employer has
already communicated planned salary increases or changes even if it hasn’t
actually put them in place, (3) whether the changes impact or potentially
impact the company’s benefit plans, (4) the overall economic impact of the
change to the client, (5) the workforce morale issues that may be implicated,
(6) the temporary nature of the injunction and the fact that it could be
appealed and, if so, potentially reversed on appeal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is an odd situation where those
employers who planned ahead are faced with more issues than those companies
that procrastinated and did nothing.<span style="color: #18376a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #141414; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt;">In response to reader requests, if
you would like to receive the latest articles from "The Employee With
The Dragon Tattoo" by e-mail, please send your name, your company, and your
e-mail to me at </span><span style="color: #124bb2; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt;">fijmanm@phelps.com</span><span style="color: #141414; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt;">.</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Mark Fijmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018482332398799883noreply@blogger.com0