FAA fines SkyWest after airline shared drug-testing issues with the association

Utah-based SkyWest Airlines was fined earlier this month after allegedly informing the Federal Aviation Administration of problems related to its drug testing policies over the previous two years. The FAA fined SkyWest $295,750 for the violations, in accordance with the Department of Transportation’s drug-testing policies. SkyWest allegedly received the fine for three different types of violations:…

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Questions to ask during an employment or education background check

It has been a while since we’ve focused on the hiring process specifically, but in light of a major incident of resume fraud, it’s a good time to take a look at your business’ employment, reference and education background check processes and make sure you’re asking the right questions when presented with a new candidate…

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EEOC fights pregnancy discrimination, sues massage chain

In light of an influx of employers being sued for pregnancy discrimination — and losing their cases — in recent years, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released new guidelines to help employers prevent pregnancy discrimination earlier this month. The new guidelines say that denying a woman work, or demoting or firing her due to pregnancy,…

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Audit: 3,800 Michigan home-health workers had felony convictions

3,786 home-healthcare providers who had a previous felony conviction on record. The audit also revealed that state social workers did not meet with those who required home-health care — or their families — to determine if proper care was being provided, and that the state had spent $160 million of Medicaid’s funds improperly between October…

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EEOC offers new guidelines for avoiding religious discrimination

the guidelines do not provide more information about what actually does constitute hardship for employers. Employers are also not allowed to require someone to cover up religious clothing or behaviors, or be placed in non-customer-facing jobs because of perceived or real customer bias. The EEOC clarified that one’s religious adherence and practices may evolve over…

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Maryland legislators consider reintroducing doctor background check bill

After former Maryland M.D. William Dando had his medical license suspended following allegations of sexual assault, the state is now considering re-visiting legislation that would require all healthcare providers, including doctors, to undergo background checks. Maryland is one of only 13 states that does not currently require background checks on doctors. The state had considered…

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June 2014: professional business services sees leap in job availability

the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly news release, the unemployment rate decreased in June to 6.1 percent, down .2 percentage points from the previous two months. Almost 300,000 new jobs were available last month — thanks to growth in professional services, healthcare and other industries — and the number of unemployed people in the U.S.…

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