EEOC wins religious discrimination case against Abercrombie, says Supreme Court

A few months back, we posed the question “What obligations do businesses have when it comes to avoiding religious discrimination?” Well, the Supremes have spoken: in a 8-1 vote, the Supreme Court declared that employers must accommodate prospective employees’ religious affiliations “if the employer at least has an idea that such accommodation is necessary.” Even…

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EEOC does not have to disclose background check policies, says federal court

it brought against Dollar General and BMW Manufacturing late last year, the EEOC argued that the companies’ hiring practices screened out minority candidates disproportionately, violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. When Dollar General and BMW requested to see how the EEOC’s own hiring and background screening policies differed from their own, the EEOC…

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Reminders for employers regarding Fair Credit Reporting Act compliance

More and more employers have fallen victim to lawsuits brought on by former applicants for violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a federal law that requires employers to take specific actions when conducting credit checks in order to allow job applicants a fair chance at the position for which they are applying. As a reminder,…

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TSA implements new background checks for aviation employees

After a breach in airport security in which a Transportation Security Administration employee attempted to smuggle weapons onto a plane leaving Atlanta, the TSA has set new policies to help keep both staff and passengers safer. The Administration announced at the end of April that they had finished a review of airport security measures throughout…

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Could the federal government overturn its medical marijuana ban?

attempt to end the federal government’s blanket ban on marijuana. The concern is that — while the current administration is fairly lax about enforcing the drug’s ban, allowing the states to determine if medical marijuana can or should be legalized — future administrations may crack down on federal bans and overturn all existing (and future)…

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EEOC: Ruby Tuesday discriminated against men in job listing

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a class-action lawsuit against restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday for stating in a job listing that only female employees would be considered for summer positions at its location in a resort town in Utah. The job posting, according to the EEOC, violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act…

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Synthetic cannabinoid compounds relegated to DEA’s banned substances list

have been banned by Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals. Three of those compounds have also been banned by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. “Synthetic drugs have proven to be a devastating element in our communities,” said Louisiana State Police Superintendent Colonel Mike Edmonson. “Public safety officials must remain proactive in removing these dangerous drugs…

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Employers: Here’s one penalty you’ll want to avoid this tax season

Tax season is looming on the horizon. In addition to fearing audits, there’s another reason for employers to be freaked out this year: the Internal Revenue Service and National Labor Relations Board are cracking down on employers that may have misclassified employees as independent contractors in order to avoid paying taxes. There are several tests…

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