A long time ago in what seems like a galaxy far away, Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act. Since then, Congress has continued to pass laws governing the employee/employer relationship. In 1938, it passed the Fair Labor Standards Act; in 1964, it passed the Civil Rights Act; and in…
Three circuit courts of appeal have issued opinions on whether Title VII prohibits sexual orientation discrimination. The Second Circuit (New York, Connecticut, and Vermont) and Eleventh Circuit (Alabama, Georgia, and Florida), relying on past precedent, have held that Title VII does not prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, on…
With efforts to raise both the federal and state minimum wage meeting lackluster success, advocates of raising the minimum wage have been focusing on effecting change at the local level. In Florida, such efforts have led to ordinances raising the minimum wage in municipalities such as the City of Miami…
A recent Family and Medical Leave Act case decided by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals offers some clarity on one of the most challenging aspects of administering FMLA, the dreaded intermittent leave. Intermittent leave is when an employee takes leave on an intermittent basis or a reduced schedule when…
When survey after survey of America’s workforce confirms that a large majority of employees admit to taking data from their current or former employers without permission, safeguards to protect proprietary and confidential information, including trade secrets, become a priority. The loss of corporate data can be devastating. When a former…