Blog Archives | Page 14 of 17

February 27, 2013

In a recent post, we discussed some of the challenges that those with a criminal record may face in the job market. Today’s story provides context for that struggle with a real life example.

Recently, the NAACP and TakeAction Minnesota brought allegations of unfair hiring practices against Target Corp. In ten formal complaints filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the organizations allege that Target’s hiring policies unlawfully discriminate against applicants with criminal records.

February 23, 2013

Minnesota air travelers may have heard that American Airlines has announced plans for merging with US Airways.

The new company will be run by Doug Parker, the current CEO of US Airways Group Inc. However, Minnesota readers don’t need to express any sympathies to American Airlines’ current CEO, Tom Horton. Mr. Horton is expected to receive a severance package worth nearly $20 million.

February 21, 2013

Even as news of an improving economy has spurred job growth, it appears that many workers (especially low-wage workers) must fight for the wages they are entitled under law. Minnesota Public Radio recently reported that janitors for Diversified Maintenance Systems reached a settlement in a class action lawsuit filed against the company over unpaid wages.

The class, which included 250 janitors who were assigned to clean Target stores in the Twin Cities metro area, alleged that they were required to work nearly eighty hours per week, but were not paid appropriately. Under Minnesota law, hourly workers are to be paid-and-a-half for any hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a five-day work week.

February 13, 2013

Although terminating someone’s employment because they are pregnant has been against the law since 1978 when the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was first passed it does not stop some Minnesota employers from blatantly firing someone simply for being pregnant. Take the case of a woman who told her employer she was pregnant at the beginning of her second trimester. Her employer’s immediate response was “That’s not going to work.” She was fired the following day for no other reason than announcing her pregnancy.

February 9, 2013

A Minnesota man recently settled a claim alleging that U.S. Bank handled his mortgage loan request in a discriminatory manner. A spokesperson for U.S. Bank says the company denies the existence of disability discrimination but agreed to settle the complaint and pay the man $12,000.

U.S. Bank allegedly required the man to provide proof of his disability income benefits before approving his mortgage loan. The lender allegedly wanted assurance that the man would continue receiving disability-related income for the next three years.

February 6, 2013

The St. Paul school district recently announced that it has settled a federal racial discrimination lawsuit.

The suit was brought by the families of three former students at Heights Community School against the school district, school principal and a sixth grade teacher. The complaint alleges that the teacher disparaged black children and subjected them to discriminatory treatment, including allegedly requiring them to sit facing the wall in the back of the classroom.

January 24, 2013

Advocates for gay rights are renewing their efforts to seek protection from discrimination in light of the president’s recent support for the cause during his second inaugural address. President Obama’s statements about gay rights represented a major turning point in the eyes of advocates who are excited about the possibilities for change.

Current federal employment law bans discrimination based on the categories of race, gender, national origin, age, ethnicity, disability status, or religion. No protection is offered for employees who experience discrimination based on their sexual orientation. Advocates for expanding protections to LGBT workers have been pushing for an executive order that would ban this type of discrimination by federal contractors.

January 15, 2013

It’s fairly unusual to hear of a wrongful termination case with ties to an uprising, but one former Microsoft employee says that the tech giant fired him after he spoke to the press about his experience escaping Libya during the recent revolution. As many readers know, last year’s Libyan revolution was extremely violent and led many to flee the country.

The man in this case says that before he was able to leave Libya, he experienced severe emotional trauma, leaving him with post-traumatic stress disorder. He says his job with Microsoft was one of the things that made him a target for violence, and being targeted motivated him to flee when he had the opportunity as a U.S. citizen.

January 9, 2013

Many Minnesota readers know that it is illegal to discriminate against employees who become pregnant. Current laws afford protection from being treated unfairly, paid less, denied work or promotional opportunities, or retaliating against a worker who takes maternity or paternity leave. Those protections have helped accomplish a lot for employees and have made the situation much better for pregnant employees, but the truth is that the law still falls short of making sure that employers can’t discriminate against pregnant workers.

One area where protection is still lacking is in the requirement that employers make accommodations for pregnant workers. While the law enforces reasonable accommodations for disabled workers, pregnant workers who have a temporary change in physical capabilities are not entitled to accommodations. This means that if a pregnant worker with a job that requires standing asks for more frequent breaks to sit or requests a chair, they could face retaliation and it would be perfectly legal.

December 28, 2012

Interns who have worked for the athletic department at a small liberal arts school on the East Coast are pursuing a class action lawsuit, claiming that they have been underpaid by the college for their efforts.

The lead plaintiff says that he complained to top officials at the school in the human resources department about the perceived mistreatment of the interns.