New EEOC rules for conciliation process in work discrimination claims
At our law firm, we represent employees and job applicants who experienced unlawful employment discrimination, harassment or retaliation. Victims may decide to file claims against their employers with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the...
Sexual harassment of servers increasing during COVID-19, survey finds
Restaurant servers have historically been at high risk of sexual harassment by customers. This is especially difficult for workers to navigate because of their financial reliance on tips. A new report by One Fair Wage, a nonprofit organization that advocates for...
Are you wondering if your employer broke the law when it fired you?
Several reasons for discharging someone from their job are illegal under state or federal law, but even if the termination seemed unfair or mean spirited, it may or may not have been unlawful. It is important that any employee in this position speak with legal counsel...
Will workers’ comp cover injuries when working from home?
The work landscape looks much different than it did a year ago. Full-time work in an office location may be a thing of the past as both employers and employees are embracing the benefits of working from home. What does this fundamental shift mean for workers’...
Federal protections for nursing mothers in the workforce
Federal labor law contains protections for the rights of mothers to take the breaks they need to express breast milk at work. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) directs that employers give nursing mothers reasonable breaks from their duties to express milk for a year...
DOL proposes new independent contractor test under FLSA rules
Federal law protects certain employees’ wage and benefits rights, especially those to minimum wage and overtime. Independent contractors, however, do not have the same rights and have more of an arm’s length relationship with the businesses or other kinds of employers...
When does an employer have to accommodate a hurt employee?
When a worker gets hurt on the job, it is common for the injured worker to not be able to perform the same duties as before. In some cases, such as where someone suffers an amputation or nerve damage, the consequences could be permanent. Other times, with proper care,...
Maryland workers’ comp: Tying new symptoms to a previously covered work injury
Consider this fact pattern. A bus driver injures their knee and ankle while stepping off the bus. Their Maryland workers’ compensation claim is approved, along with a finding of permanent partial disability of the injured leg. Five years later, the driver requests...
Employers can probably require a COVID-19 vaccine, with exceptions
It seems that the news changes every day about if and when a COVID-19 vaccination is going to become a reality for the American public. Employers are already thinking about how to keep their workplaces safer in this pandemic, especially as industries begin to slowly...
Workers’ compensation claim denied? File an appeal
A work-related injury now prevents you from clocking in daily at your job. Your injury will take time to heal, perhaps several weeks or months. In such a situation, you know that you deserve and need workers’ compensation. Those payments will provide a temporary...