http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com What to watch for in Maryland employment law Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:07:32 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The plight of unemployed workers is inextricably linked to the high rate of foreclosures.  These are not the stories of people who bought a house on credit that they could, under no fantasy, afford.  Those are the extremes, and were never destined to work out. These are the stories of ordinary ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/02/07/how-will-our-recession-change-the-american-dream/ We get occasional glimpses of hope in the economic news, but the unemployment rate remains high.  The latest projection I heard projected unemployment remaining above ten percent all year.  To deal with the prolonged unemployment of so many workers, the government has extended the maximum weeks of unemployment benefits.  It ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/02/06/new-unemployment-bill-to-provide-relief/ As is typical in a State of the Union address, the President touched Wednesday on a number of themes, domestic and foreign.  But he specifically alluded to two employment issues that have a lot of resonance in a post-Bush era. “We are going to crack down on violations of equal pay ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/01/29/promises-to-the-union/ The post on January 15 described the furor about the panel described as having "distinguished gentlemen" weighing in on the strengths and weaknesses of women lawyers.  The panelists, who apparently are well known for their mentoring of women lawyers, have all dropped off and the program's description altered.  These particular ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/01/21/quick-update-on-all-male-panel-about-women/ Today’s New York Times published an interesting article on research about “colorism,” a touchy phenomenon that’s harder than race to discuss. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act has included “color” as well as “national origin” as protected categories, and forbids discrimination on those bases.  More cases are brought on the ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/01/19/discrimination-on-the-basis-of-color/ Many organizations, including employers, give lip service or even thoughtful consideration to “diversity.”  Some conservative acquaintances (including one parent) find this word an opening for a diatribe on what is wrong with the modern world.  Add “politically correct” to the mix and you may have ruined that nice dinner party. But ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/01/15/increasing-diversity-by-abandoning-discrimination/ The EEOC negotiated a huge settlement with Outback Steakhouse restaurant chain on behalf of women who were unable to advance because of the company’s glass ceiling. The management positions at Outback were filled by men.  To be considered for management positions, the applicant had to have kitchen experience.  Outback, however, did ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/01/11/outback-steakhouse-advancement-criteria-is-sexist/ Yesterday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released statistics showing that charges of job discrimination had risen.  “93,277 workplace discrimination charges were filed with the federal agency nationwide during Fiscal Year (FY) 2009.”  The federal government’s fiscal year ends on September 30.  The highest categories were race, retaliation, and gender.  The ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/01/07/discrimination-claims-are-on-the-rise/ The  Supreme Court will decide whether a police officer in California has the right to prevent his bosses from reviewing text messages he sent from a department-issued pager.  Like many employers, the City of Ontario has its employees sign agreements acknowledging that they may not use its computers for personal ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/01/04/government-employee-privacy-rights/ The Court of Special Appeals recently granted unemployment benefits to a woman whose claim had been rejected by a hearing examiner, the Board of Appeals, and the Circuit Court.  Pursuing this many appeals is not easy, nor inexpensive, but the effort will help others, not just the unemployed claimant in ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/01/01/new-case-on-unemployment-hearing-proof/