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Election Day Impressions
Election Day, November 4, 2008, I was on my feet for 13.5 hours at Riverview City Hall, in north St. Louis County. I stood in a tiny polling room, behind the seated election judges in a two-foot deep space between their tables and the wall, observing the voting for the Democratic Party voter protection [...]
Recesssion Can Mean Opportunity
Fearing Fear Itself
Depending on whom you read, our country is either now in or is on it’s way to the deepest recession in decades. In other words, we are in a period of economic chaos, of shifting priorities and huge uncertainty.
Congratulations! Sound crazy? Well, put aside your understandable fears for a moment and think about [...]
My First Political Endorsement
In its over five years of existence, this blog has never been about politics. But there is a time for everything. And now is the time for me to do one more thing to support the Presidential candidate of my choice: Senator Barack Obama.
I have voted for presidential candidates of both parties in [...]
Welcome to Our New Staff Member!
I began this blog in 2003, mostly in the interests of keeping up with my own studies in the field of employment law. However, within months I was being visited by readers interested in career growth, job hunting, and all of the other many and varied aspects of work and workplaces.
As your interests have grown, [...]
Career Development for Less - or Even Free!
New on our Blog - Look Up! See Those Tabs on the Right?
You want to learn new skills, find out about employment trends, and develop your career — but you don’t want to spend a lot of money.
We understand. After all, we feel the same way. That’s why George’s Employment Blawg now has links to [...]
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 [...]
News Flash: ADA Amendments Signed into Law
Today (September 25, 2008) President Bush signed into law amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) designed to counteract certain Supreme Court decisions and make it easier for people with disabilities to pursue claims under the ADA.
The American Association of People with Disabilities “hail[ed] this monumental event as a civil rights landmark that [...]
Unemployment Benefits Extension: Effective Counterweight to Slowing Economy?
On June 30, President Bush signed a $162 billion war spending bill that included a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits. Attaching this unemployment extension to entirely unrelated war spending sought by the White House was effective in getting the extension passed despite significant Republican opposition. This post describes the availability of the extended benefits and the economic and political considerations affecting the decision to undertake this significant additional domestic spending.
Lunchtime Advice for Success & Health
Good suggestions about using your lunch break at work most beneficially. (No — that doesn’t mean eating at your desk while you work!)
Hiring Managers Slow to Accept Online Degrees
According to a recent survey, it appears the growth in online education is outpacing the acceptance of the quality and legitimacy of such education by hiring managers.
Top 100 Law Blogs List (We’re Included!)
Criminal Justice Degrees Guide, a site providing comprehensive listings of campus-based and online criminal justice degree programs, has compiled a list of The Top 100 Law and Lawyer Blogs.
George’s Employment Blawg is included.
We note that many fine blogs were omitted, and that the compilers of the list admitted that “It was very difficult [...]
Supreme Court Limits Public Employee Equal Protection Claims
The Supreme Court has ruled that government employees who complain of unfair or arbitrary workplace treatment that is inconsistent with treatment of other employees in similar circumstances may not maintain a claim under the Constitution’s equal protection clause, — unless the mistreatment is due to discrimination on the basis of race, sex or another protected category.
Tons of Free Stuff Here !
Many say “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” (a maxim attributed to an interesting assortment of folks, including science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein, Nobel Prize–winning economist Milton Friedman, and New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia). Contrary to the maxim, I’ve found that it’s sometimes possible to get something quite useful for free. Most [...]
Introducing New Intern, Andrew King
Greetings to all Blawg readers! I am Andrew King, and I am excited to be working with George on the Blawg over the next ten weeks. Like George’s previous student-interns, I attend Hendrix College in Conway Arkansas.
Supreme Court Implies Retaliation Prohibition Twice in One Day
As we returned from the Memorial Day holiday on May 27, 2008, we were greeted by a pair of Supreme Court decisions with a similar theme: whether a law prohibiting a type of employment discrimination should be interpreted to also prohibit retaliation for opposing such discrimination, though it contains no reference whatsoever to retaliation.
The decisions are not earthshaking in their practical impact. But they are noteworthy for showing solid Supreme Court majorities willing to: (1) decide employment cases in favor of employees; (2) look well beyond a conservative text-based reading of a law; and (3) apply Supreme Court decisions decided by earlier, more liberal Courts, even if they do not agree with such decisions.
