Activision Blizzard, California regulators settle sex bias claims for $54M

The agreement, subject to court approval, resolves pay bias claims and comes after more than two years of litigation between the video game publisher and regulators.

By Ryan Golden • Updated Dec. 19, 2023

Court tosses Bimbo Bakeries’ counterclaim against drivers seeking FLSA overtime

If allowed, the claim would give employers incentive to misclassify employees as independent contractors and then seek reimbursement for the violation, the court said.

By Laurel Kalser • Dec. 18, 2023

Jury orders Jefferson University to pay $15M after investigation allegedly ran afoul of Title IX

The investigation was biased because the surgeon was a man, while his counter-accuser was a woman, the plaintiff alleged.

By Emilie Shumway • Dec. 18, 2023

McDonald’s to survey franchisees on child labor practices

The U.S. Department of Labor fined Golden Arches operators in five states for using workers as young as 10 years old, making them work longer than permitted and putting them in dangerous environments.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Dec. 18, 2023

EEOC inks $90K age discrimination settlement for 49-year-old rejected for sales job

The agency alleged that Exact Sciences turned down the applicant because it sought “more junior” workers.

By Ryan Golden • Dec. 15, 2023

LinkedIn to pay $6.75M in ERISA class-action settlement

Plaintiffs said the social media giant acted “imprudently” in its management of an employee 401(k) plan.

By Ginger Christ • Dec. 14, 2023

Business owner ordered to attend anti-retaliation training after allegedly interfering with DOL investigation

The owner allegedly threatened to fire workers who assisted in a DOL investigation.

By Ginger Christ • Dec. 14, 2023

McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, Wendy’s franchisees face ‘convict leasing’ suit in Alabama

Incarcerated workers are suing Alabama and employers, including franchisees of major restaurant chains, over an alleged system of coerced labor.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Dec. 14, 2023

Prison guard may have right to firearm accommodation, 10th Cir. says

A proposed disability accommodation is not automatically unreasonable — and must still be considered — even if it appears to violate a neutral policy, the court said.

By Laurel Kalser • Dec. 11, 2023

Red offices for women, blue for men? SCOTUS mulls Title VII harm standards

The justices may take aim at some federal courts’ requirements that employees show a discriminatory practice has caused them “significant disadvantage.”

By Ryan Golden • Dec. 11, 2023

Court approves Cargill’s $2.4M settlement of Kronos outage wage claims

Employees alleged that the Kronos Private Cloud ransomware attack resulted in unpaid wages and overtime, among other damages.

By Ryan Golden • Dec. 8, 2023

Pay transparency laws risk colliding with antitrust concerns

HR leaders are being instructed to tread carefully when talking about wage and salary information among peers, even casually. 

By Ramona Dzinkowski • Dec. 8, 2023

For ADA reassignment, how long and far must HR look for a vacancy?

An employer recently agreed to search for 90 days and within a 50-mile radius, but that doesn’t match up with one ADA expert’s recommended best practices.

By Kate Tornone • Dec. 7, 2023

Overtime rule slated for April; PWFA regulations to be published by EOY

The government’s fall regulatory agenda just dropped. Highlights include overtime regulations and independent contractor updates.

By Caroline Colvin • Dec. 7, 2023

DOL head emphasizes Biden’s support for labor

Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su underlined the White House’s worker-focused efforts at a construction trade event in Washington, D.C.

By Zachary Phillips • Dec. 7, 2023

How should HR handle employee social media posts on the Israel-Hamas war?

A recent slew of rescinded job offers and forced resignations raises questions about free speech, inclusion and belonging, and compliance.

By Caroline Colvin • Dec. 7, 2023

Frontier Airlines settles claim it discriminated against pregnant and lactating employees

The settlement could inspire stronger protections for airline workers, the plaintiffs’ lawyer said.

By Ginger Christ • Dec. 6, 2023

DOL shifts to a per-violation penalty for certain child labor infractions

It’s yet another enforcement shift in a year where federal regulators levied high-profile penalties against child labor law violators across several industries.

By Ryan Golden • Dec. 4, 2023

NLRB rules against Amazon in New York fulfillment center union organizing case

The National Labor Relations Board alleges the company unlawfully retaliated against some employees, including by changing work assignments.

By Nate Delesline III • Dec. 4, 2023

Can you eat meat and work at PETA? How personal values intersect with work

Yes and no, PETA says. But the question touches on a bigger workplace culture topic: employee-employer value alignment.

By Caroline Colvin • Dec. 4, 2023

Republican AGs back lawsuit challenging Nasdaq diversity rules

The case is one of several legal actions targeting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts following the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision.

By Ryan Golden • Dec. 1, 2023

Papa Johns will pay $175K to settle ADA claim involving service dog

The worker was not allowed to bring to work the dog he needed for his commute — despite running the accommodation past the store manager ahead of time, according to the complaint. 

By Emilie Shumway • Nov. 30, 2023

McDonald’s asks SCOTUS to hear no-poach case

A group of former employees sued in 2018, alleging that hiring restrictions between the fast food chain and its franchises constituted a “per se” violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

By Ryan Golden • Nov. 29, 2023

Biden DOL nominee stalled in Senate

Democrat José Javier Rodríguez’s nomination has been blocked since 2021.

By Ginger Christ • Nov. 29, 2023

Citizens Bank will implement noncompetitive ADA reassignment policy to settle EEOC lawsuit

The bank also will pay $100K to resolve the complaint, which alleged it refused to transfer a customer service representative with anxiety.

By Kate Tornone • Nov. 29, 2023