On June 16, 2009, the California Fair Employment & Housing Commission issued its decision in the case of DFEH vs. ACOSTA TACOS, Case No. E200708 T-0097-00se.
A Los Angeles employer who owned a chain of taquerias selling tacos and other Mexican food, hired a hispanic female, and employed her as a cashier. She worked there [...]
CALIFORNIA’S FEHC FINES LACTOSE-INTOLERANT EMPLOYER
Dramatic Increase in ICE Audits of Employers’ I-9 Records
Announced July 1, 2009, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency sent Notices of Inspection to 652 businessess nationwide, to review their I-9 and related employment records to determine compliance with Immigration laws. By comparison, ICE sent only 503 of these notices to employers for the entire year of 2008. As always, the stated [...]
Sexual Harassment Standards Apply to Service Providers
In a decision published July 2, 2009, the California Supreme Court has stated that the same legal standards currently used to determine sexual harassment in the workplace, under both Title VII and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, also apply to liability determinations for alleged sexual harassment in business, service and professional relationships, which is [...]
Employee Free Choice Act Update
A reader recently asked me for an update on this issue and, I am always willing to accommodate a reader’s request. First, for further information on the Employee Free Choice Act, I suggest that you go “Employer Links” on my website, and then click “Employee Free Choice Act” on the dropdown menu.
As for new developments [...]
Macy’s Delayed, Vacation Accrual Policy Upheld
In 2006, Lisa Owen, a former sales associate sued Macy’s, alleging that the store did not pay her all of the accrued, vested vacation pay to which she claimed that she was entitled. (Ms. Owen had previously worked for Robinson’s-May, which was acquired by Macy’s.) The Robinson’s employee handbook stated that “all eligible sales associates earn [...]