http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com What to watch for in Maryland employment law Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:14:49 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Wage theft is a common problem, afflicting low income workers disproportionately. Wage theft may take such forms as a refusal to pay a day laborer, bouncing a weekly paycheck, or failure to pay overtime.  Unfortunately, it is not easy to enforce wage laws when relatively small amounts are involved.  Some workers ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/03/20/new-ideas-for-combatting-wage-theft/ Photograph by Franz Jantzen, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court of the United States heads the most publicity shy branches of government.  The politicians in Congress need publicity for reelection, and many seem to crave it.  The President has no ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/03/19/supreme-court-open-to-the-public/ In a down job market, discrimination claims rise.  One view is that people who are laid off anyway have nothing to lose by filing a claim.  Another, and one I’m more partial to, sees the downsizing workplace as indulging in stereotypes of what the efficient future worker looks like.  And ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/03/13/eeoc-proposes-rules-on-factors-that-affect-older-workers/ The Senate voted 99-0 to approve the nomination of Barbara Keenan to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.  As reported here before, the pace of replacement judges had been glacial.  The Fourth Circuit has an enormous workload, and part of the consequence is that many opinions are unreported and short.  ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/03/03/progress-continues-on-the-fourth-circuit/ The EEOC just settled a massive sex discrimination case against Walmart.  Walmart was accused of refusing to consider women for order filling positions in its Kentucky distribution center, telling applicants that these jobs were not suitable for women.  And yes, in case there is any question, these acts occurred in ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/03/02/eeoc-stops-blatant-sex-discrimination/ Long a punch line, the idea that the government can step in and improve lives has its deep seated detractors. But the Obama administration is discussing using the federal government’s massive economic power to change the way workers are treated. According to a New York Times article, one ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/02/27/the-government-is-here-to-help-and-this-time-it-might-work/ A new study based on census figures rated American cities with more than 75,000 people for affluence.  Three Maryland cities made the population cut.  Columbia ranked 24th, Silver Spring came in at 46, and Baltimore trailed behind at 294, with a median household income of only $40,313.  Only one large ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/02/26/maryland-cities-at-the-high-and-low-ends-of-wealth-distribution/ The latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show some slight improvement in the rate of unemployment, with women enjoying the biggest job gains.  Unemployment among women stands at 7.9%, and men at 10%.  Teenage unemployment is higher, but of course teenage employees include those who have not finished ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/02/18/unemployment-rates-looking-marginally-better/ As Andy Borowitz might write, this just in from “Duh Magazine:” two new studies prove that the race or gender of a judge is strongly correlated with the outcome of cases involving race and gender discrimination. One study found that in sexual harassment cases, plaintiffs were twice as likely to win ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/02/14/the-judge%e2%80%99s-background-affects-the-outcome-of-the-case/ The Americans with Disabilities Act has faced a formidable battle in achieving its original goals of outlawing discrimination, and improving the employment rates for disabled people.  Originally signed into law by the first President Bush, the ADA forbade discrimination against individuals who had a disability, so long as they could ... http://marylandemploymentdevelopments.com/2010/02/09/the-ada-trumps-absence-policies-at-sears/