Subscribe by RSS
Subscribe by EmailDiscrimination (generally)
Not Just a Bailout for the Rich; Mental Health Parity Law Comes Along for the Ride
Mental Health Parity Act: One of the “Sweeteners” Added to the Wall Street Bailout Bill
Thanks to the mess on Wall Street, over a third of Americans will have better health insurance coverage for mental illness and addiction treatments beginning January, 2010. That’s the date that the Paul Wellstone-Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity [...]
“Blind Hiring” to Avoid Bias: Wave of the HR Future, or “Blind Alley”?
Is a hiring manager named “David” more likely to give an edge to a job candidate also named “David”?
Recent academic research suggests that the answer is “yes,” even for other names with similar sounds, like “Dan” or “Dustin.”
What does this say about a company’s ability to develop a merit-based, non-discriminatory hiring model?
Is Compensation Discrimination Amendment Needed? (Fair Pay Act, Part 2 of 2)
Last week, in Part 1 of this series, I discussed the Supreme Court’s Ledbetter decision and the criticism of it that led to the introduction of corrective legislation in the form of the Fair Pay Act.
Today, in Part 2, I’ll cover some reasons why I believe the impact of Ledbetter on employees is not as harsh as critics claim, and why compensation discrimination is not as different from other types of job discrimination as they claim.
Senate Blocks Compensation Discrimination Amendment (Fair Pay Act, Part 1 of 2)
Last week Republicans blocked legislation (Fair Pay Act) intended to reverse last year’s Supreme Court ruling in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., widely criticized for making it easier for employers to get away with pay discrimination.
This is Part I of a two-part series on the Ledbetter case and why legislation to overturn it is not urgent and perhaps unwise.
Judge Gives NASA Lesson on Background Checks
NASA scientists, engineers, and administrative support personnel believed newly- implemented background checks were unlawful, claiming NASA lacked authority to implement them and was invading personal privacy. After unsuccessfully seeking injunction in federal district court, they ultimately prevailed when Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals reversed, ordering district court to grant injunction prohibiting implementation of new procedures. Although directly applicable to public sector employment, case is useful reminder of importance of keeping background checks and interview questions relevant and focused.
Firemen’s Dog Food Prank Could Cost City Millions
A black LA firefighter filed a racial discrimination suit after his coworkers “secretly laced his spaghetti with dog food.”
He said in court documents that the dog food incident “was part of a pattern of incidents” at the fire station “that were done to dehumanize black men.”
But “firefighters called it a prank and city [...]
Authoritative Summary of Law on Family Responsibilities Discrimination
We’ve written before about the increased interest in what is being called “Family Responsibilities Discrimination”:
Family Responsibilities Discrimination?
EEOC Issues Guidance on Family Responsibilities Discrimination
Mommified: Social Science Evidence of Discrimination Against Mothers
Legally speaking, family responsibility discrimination does not involve a new form of prohibited discrimination in the workplace, but rather a set of scenarios that are increasingly [...]
Recruiters Can Be Liable for Discrimination
George recently wrote about recruiting discrimination on Kennedy Information’s Recruiting Trends website. George is on the Advisory Board of the site, which offers guidance and industry news.
The article warns recruiters that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to them, too. Recruiters may be considered “employers” themselves, or they [...]
Supreme Court Upholds Time Limits on Title VII Pay Discrimination Cases in 5-4 Decision
In a 5-4 decision that roused the ire of dissenting Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court said employees claiming intentional pay discrimination under Title VII must do so within 180 days of the original discriminatory action — not 180 days of their last paycheck.
The decision on Wednesday [May 29, 2007] in Ledbetter v. [...]
EEOC Issues Guidance on Family Responsibilities Discrimination
Family Responsibilities Discrimination has been in the news a lot lately. I’ve been skeptical of the concept, drawing some interesting comments.
Katie Rice touched on a similar topic in her first post as an intern on this Blawg: Mommified: social science evidence of discrimination against mothers.
I’d thought we’d give the topic a rest for a [...]
Coca-Cola “cat’s paw” subordinate bias case dismissed on settlement week before Sup. Ct. arguments
I’ve written before about the fascinating subordinate bias case that was scheduled for Supreme Court arguments this coming week:
Supreme Court to hear Coca-Cola “cat’s paw” case
Cat’s paws, rubber stamps, and proof of race discrimination
The “Question Presented” as stated in the Supreme Court docket was:
Under what circumstances is an employer liable under
federal anti-discrimination laws based on [...]
George’s 15 minutes of fame — quoted in TIME Magazine on video resumes — with Friday video humor thrown in for good meaure
A few weeks ago, when I was in New York, I stayed at the Hudson Hotel, a cool place near the Time-Warner Building pictured at left (my photo). So did several other scintillating bloggers-blawgers.
Shortly after my return, I got an e-mail from a Time Magazine writer working in that very building, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. [...]
EEOC, OFCCP debate discrimination in recruiting and hiring
A recruiter friend, Karen Mattonen, tells me that many recruiters are becoming more eager to learn about discrimination laws as they become more aware of the legal risks inherent in their activities.
The stakes are increasing as candidates become more sophisticated and the new EEOC and OFCCP rules for compliance go into effect.
Last year, Karen [...]
Family Responsibilities Discrimination?
Subtitle: F.R.D. — “you can call it FRED."
Apologies to my regular readers for being scarce on this blog lately. I’ve been busy, with billable work and otherwise — and maybe also needed a break from the blogging routine.
One activity has been speaking to several reporters for major publications about my CollegeRecruiter.com guest post: “Employers Using [...]
Plain Talk About Employment Testing From Bob Brady, a Straight Shooter
(And from George, making it two straight shooters — hopefully)
Back when Michael Harris was a contributor to this blog, employment testing was a fairly common topic here, and naturally so, given his background as an industrial/organizational psychologist.
Unlike Michael, I’m not particularly well acquainted with the ins and outs of test design and validation. [...]
