Compliance
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Tesla, after two jury-trial losses, settles former employee’s racial discrimination suit
The automaker successfully sought a retrial after a 2021 verdict awarded a former elevator operator more than $130 million in damages — but it lost again two years later.
By Ryan Golden • March 18, 2024 -
Arise to pay $2M to customer service agents for alleged wage theft
The customer service company misclassified at least 250 workers in the District of Columbia as independent contractors and failed to pay minimum wages, the attorney general alleged.
By Kristen Doerer • March 18, 2024 -
Trendline
Inside the rapidly changing world of compliance
The HR landscape is ever-shifting, leaving compliance professionals to meet today’s requirements while keeping an eye on the future.
By HR Dive staff -
In the US, companies may lead the ‘right to disconnect’ movement, leaders say
Ultimately, “right to disconnect” laws are about company culture, said Alan King, president and CEO of Workplace Options.
By Ginger Christ • March 18, 2024 -
Minimum-wage delivery drivers must be 100% reimbursed for using their own vehicles, 6th Cir. says
The court didn’t say how employers should calculate these reimbursements, but it warned that underpayment may cut into a driver’s minimum wage and violate the FLSA.
By Laurel Kalser • March 18, 2024 -
Cornell University employees ask SCOTUS to address retirement plan circuit split
The case concerns whether ERISA plaintiffs must “plead and prove additional elements and facts not contained” in the law’s text.
By Ryan Golden • March 15, 2024 -
Pay transparency
Emerging from a ‘black box’: How salary transparency affects every state
National Women’s Law Center researchers said it was “notable” that states without disclosure laws showed an increase in transparency, as well.
By Caroline Colvin • March 15, 2024 -
National Raisin Co. to pay $2M following EEOC sexual harassment suit
Managers and employees at the California-based raisin production company, which serves Newman’s Own, allegedly groped and threatened female workers sorting and packing dried fruit, per the EEOC.
By Caroline Colvin • March 14, 2024 -
EEOC hired more investigators, filed 50% more lawsuits in FY 2023
The agency recovered a record $665 million for more than 22,000 workers.
By Ginger Christ • March 13, 2024 -
Walmart pays $70K to resolve allegations it kept worker with disability on leave for three years
The worker used an electric cart as a reasonable accommodation, but the cart allegedly was revoked and designated “for customer use only” when a new HR representative began at the store.
By Emilie Shumway • March 12, 2024 -
NLRB issues complaint against LA Grand Hotel
The complaint follows a charge filed by Southern California hospitality union Unite Here Local 11, which claims the hotel retaliated against a union worker for bringing up workplace safety issues in a meeting.
By Noelle Mateer • March 12, 2024 -
What to watch as DOL’s independent contractor rule takes effect
None of the lawsuits filed against the agency blocked its final rule March 11, but that doesn’t preclude a future injunction, an attorney told HR Dive.
By Ryan Golden • March 12, 2024 -
Federal judge says Christian employers don’t have to cover gender transition
Mandates requiring Christian employers to provide gender-affirming healthcare violate their sincerely held religious beliefs, the judge held.
By Laurel Kalser • March 11, 2024 -
Independent contractor rule takes effect
In a statement, SHRM said the rule “fosters ambiguity” and deters businesses from extending essential training to independent workers.
By Emilie Shumway • March 11, 2024 -
Texas judge vacates joint employer rule
The rule, which would have gone into effect Monday, would have lowered the bar for joint employer status.
By Emilie Shumway • Updated March 11, 2024 -
DC bill mandates study of delivery worker conditions, pay
As part of the restaurant rules package that passed in the District this week, the city council requires aggregators and restaurants to agree that delivery workers are allowed to use restaurant bathrooms.
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • March 8, 2024 -
Subway franchisees pay $218K for allegedly pocketing employees’ tips
A DOL investigation found managers and owners illegally participated in employee tip pools and manually adjusted hours to avoid paying overtime.
By Ginger Christ • March 8, 2024 -
Appeals court rejects challenge to Pfizer’s diverse fellowship pipeline
The plaintiff failed to identify a single person who was harmed by Pfizer’s fellowship parameters, the court said.
By Caroline Colvin • March 7, 2024 -
Dartmouth men’s basketball players vote to unionize
The historic election could have seismic implications for the ongoing debate over whether college athletes should be considered employees.
By Laura Spitalniak • March 7, 2024 -
NLRB protects worker’s right to wear ‘BLM’ marking on Home Depot uniform
The employee’s decision to put “BLM” on their uniform was tied to racial discrimination in the workplace, NLRB held.
By Ginger Christ • March 6, 2024 -
California proposes paid pregnancy leave for educators
The legislation, expected to improve teacher retention, has the backing of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
By Naaz Modan • March 5, 2024 -
NYC bill would ban agreements that shorten discrimination claim filing periods
Council member Lincoln Restler, who introduced the bill, named Northwell Health and FedEx among city employers that use such agreements.
By Emilie Shumway • March 5, 2024 -
SCOTUS race-conscious ruling leaves opening for corporate DEI, former AG Holder says
A carve-out for military academies suggests that what applies to educational institutions doesn’t necessarily extend to the business world.
By Suman Bhattacharyya • March 4, 2024 -
Appeals court upholds NLRB’s ‘successor bar’ rule
However, the rule could be in danger if the U.S. Supreme Court rejects the Chevron doctrine, one circuit judge said.
By Ginger Christ • March 4, 2024 -
7 tips for California employers’ violence prevention plans
Employers may not receive further guidance from the state before the law becomes effective July 1, Cozen O’Connor attorneys said.
By Kate Tornone • March 4, 2024 -
Performance review may need to reflect FMLA leave, appeals court says
A jury will have to decide if an employer denied a manager the benefit of FMLA leave by holding her to performance standards that didn’t account for her FMLA-related absences, the 7th Circuit held.
By Laurel Kalser • March 4, 2024