Law Commons^™

Third Generation Discrimination: The Ripple Effects Of Gender Bias In The Workplace, Catherine Ross Dunham

Akron Law Review

This Article joins together threads of ongoing conversations regarding implicit bias and gender discrimination. The Article builds on the groundbreaking work of Susan Sturm of Columbia University who developed the theory of second generation gender discrimination, Title VII gender discrimination based on implicit bias, in her article Second Generation Employment Discrimination: A Structural Approach, 101 Colum. L. Rev. 458 (2001). In her article, Sturm developed a theory to pursue Title VII claims where the employment practice at issue is facially-neutral, but the effect of the policy in a bias-based, homogeneous work environment is discriminatory. Since 2001, several high profile …

What Does The Minimum Wage Have To Do With Reproductive Rights?, Terry O'Neill

Akron Law Review

In January of this year, I had the honor of delivering remarks at the AALS Section on Socio-Economics annual luncheon. The subject of my talk, What does the minimum wage have to do with reproductive rights?, undoubtedly struck many in the audience as attempting the impossible— linking two issues that, while each important and timely, are entirely separate. Surely, the argument goes, a woman’s right to choose abortion simply does not occupy the same analytical or policy space as a worker’s right to fair wages and terms of employment.

In this Essay, however, I will sketch out my reasons for …

An Examination Of Two Aspects Of The Nlrb Representation Election: Employee Attitudes And Board Inferences, William H. Fitzgerald, D. Richard Froelke

Akron Law Review

In any event, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has, during the last 35 years, made the ballot, with its implications of order and stability, available to over 25 million American workers. Some may suppose that the bulk of union organization has already taken place and that today the election function of the NLRB is relatively unimportant. This is not the case.

The purpose of this paper is to examine, through the use of random sampling techniques, employee reactions to unions and employers, and to examine the effectiveness of NLRB policies followed in the regulation of representation elections.

The Nlrb's Restrictions On The Employer's Right Of Free Speech, D. Richard Froelke

Akron Law Review

In fiscal year 1968 more than a half million employees cast ballots in NLRB-conducted representation elections. Over the years more than twenty-five million employees have cast ballots in NLRB-supervised elections. Consequently, it seems worthwhile to review, in the light of the First Amendment, the NLRB's attempt to regulate the conduct of elections in which employees choose whether to become organized.

A Historical Sketch Of Anglo-American Medical Law (With Emphasis On The Maxim Of Respondeat Superior), Dennis O. Norman

Akron Law Review

In MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE, the medical and legal professions are united to encompass a wide range of human activity. The spectrum of medical law is so broad that a thorough consideration of its historical development would require the writing of several volumes. Consequently, this article confines itself to a discussion of the primary origins and major developments of Anglo American medical jurisprudence. Special emphasis has been placed upon the agency concept of respondeat superior, since this doctrine plays a prominent role in medical law and since the doctrine has been used of late to significantly expand the potential liability of the …

Public Employee Strikes In Ohio: The Ferguson Act Reconsidered, Donald J. Hoffman, Donald J. Newman

Akron Law Review

A SOCIETY CHANGES through normal evolutionary processes, the laws by which that society elects to be governed must also be changed.2 The diminution of the rationale for a given law tends to render that law vacuous. Impossibility of effective enforcement of the law will often render a law impotent. Failure by the appropriate legislative body to revise or repeal such laws to more accurately accommodate the current consensus results in a general deterioration of society's respect for law. An example is the Ferguson Act, which unequivocably prohibits any public employee in Ohio from striking. It has become clear that the …

Employment Equality In A Color-Blind Society, Earl M. Curry Jr.

Akron Law Review

The purposes of this article are first, to look at the rights of Negroes, under law, to bring economic pressure to bear for employment equality, including the demand for a quota, and secondly to see how that law is satisfying today's social needs. To achieve this latter purpose, perhaps we must ask whether our society can afford to be legally color-blind? We shall look first to the private self-help devices that have been used by minorities, and then to one area of governmental intervention that has dealt directly with minority employment and the use of quotas or goals to achieve …

Arbitration - Dispute Involving Hazardous Working Conditions Is Within The Scope Of Broad Arbitration Clause Of A Collective Bargaining Agreement In Absence Of Forceful Indication Of Exclusionary Intent; Gateway Coal Co. V. United Mine Workers, Raymond T. Royko

Akron Law Review

The collapse of a ventilation structure substantially reduced the air flow into a mine operated 'by the Gateway Coal Co., seriously increasing the danger of accumulation of dust, flammable gas and possible explosion. Three assistant foremen, whose duties included checking and recording the airflow in the mine, made false entries in their logbooks that failed to disclose the reduced air flow. The three foremen were suspended, and criminal proceedings were instituted against them. While the charges remained pending, the Company, after receiving permission from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, reinstated the foremen. Ruling that the continued presence of the …

The Occupational Safety And Health Act: A Promise That Failed, Howard M. Metzenbaum

Akron Law Review

When Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) in 1970, it commanded industry to provide its employees with workplaces free from recognized dangers. The legislation declared that the safety of workers is a public concern, a concern vital to the community at large. Spokesmen for the then-presiding Nixon Administration praised the Act heartily and vowed to implement it energetically. "This bill opens up a whole new vista for the Labor Department," said the Secretary of Labor. "We plan to launch the administration of the Act with all the vigor and momentum we can generate."

Four years later, the …

State Public Utility Labor Relations, Donald W. Brodie

Akron Law Review

THE STATE LEVEL public utility commission or comparable regulatory agency (hereinafter referred to as commission) is largely responsible for setting the rates consumers must pay for regulated goods and services and is responsible for monitoring the quality of those goods and services. Labor and labor-related costs may be a significant portion of the rates. In the exercise of its rate and service jurisdiction, the commissions make decisions which will have direct or indirect effects on labor relations. It is the purpose of this paper to examine those effects by reviewing how the commissions treat issues involving labor relations.' The emphasis …

State Public Utility Labor Relations, Donald W. Brodie

Akron Law Review

THE STATE LEVEL public utility commission or comparable regulatory agency (hereinafter referred to as commission) is largely responsible for setting the rates consumers must pay for regulated goods and services and is responsible for monitoring the quality of those goods and services. Labor and labor-related costs may be a significant portion of the rates. In the exercise of its rate and service jurisdiction, the commissions make decisions which will have direct or indirect effects on labor relations. It is the purpose of this paper to examine those effects by reviewing how the commissions treat issues involving labor relations.' The emphasis …

Employee Medical Reimbursement Plans In The Age Of Erisa, Robert D. Rosewater

Akron Law Review

THE EMPLOYEE MEDICAL reimbursement plan presents a new dimension in the spectrum of available corporate fringe benefits. Its attractiveness lies in the relative ease by which the plan may be adopted and administered as well as the favorable federal income tax consequences to both the corporation and its participating employees. These plans undoubtedly will proliferate as other traditional fringe benefits become less attractive due to changes in tax laws,2 as medical expenses continue to increase, and as the advantages of employee medical reimbursement plans become more widely known. The scope of this article is to discuss the purposes of these …

Administrative Agencies; Subpoena Power; Relevancy; Right Of Privacy; Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe Ry. Co. V. Lopez, David L. Hostetler

Akron Law Review

The Kansas Supreme Court in Sante Fe has joined the majority of states in declaring that administrative "fishing expeditions" via the use of subpoena powers are now permissible. No probable cause need be shown and confidential information may be subject to subpoena if there is even a mere possibility of relevance to a matter within the scope of the agency's authority. The state's interest in preventing discrimination in employment practices has been declared a "compelling state interest" such as to override any claims to rights of privacy. Although primarily discussing only arrest and conviction records, the court in actuality upheld …

Bona Fide Occupation Qualifications And The Military Employer: Opportunities For Females And The Handicapped, Tim M. Callaghan

Akron Law Review

This article explores the hiring and job placement policies of the United States military departments' in light of the concept of the bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ). In essence a BFOQ criterion is a requisite to the actual performance of an employment task; a potential employee may be refused a position if he lacks an ability or characteristic which can be labeled as a BFOQ.

Although the study of military employment practices may induce emotional argumentation, this article avoids any conclusions based upon traditional roles of potential employees and deals with two classes of potential employees. The first class of …

Manufacturer's Liability As A Dual Capacity Of An Employer, John D. Lambert

Akron Law Review

In recent years, a new theory of recovery for employees' injuries arising out of an employment situation has emerged where the employer's product is the proximate cause of the injury. In most situations the theory of recovery for the employee would be workmen's compensation statutes with their schedules which limit the amount the employee recovers. Recently, to avoid this inadequate measure of damages, employees' attorneys have, with increasing regularity, alleged that the injury arose out of a second or dual capacity of the employer, unrelated to and independent of the normal employer-employee obligations and duties.

A Legal Overview Of The Osha Noise Standard, Peter T. Parashes

Akron Law Review

SINCE AUGUST 27, 1971, when it became effective, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) regulation concerning noise levels has been the source of considerable controversy and confusion.... The law concerning the noise standard is itself far from settled. The multitude of decisions from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission...and administrative law judges have left many questions unanswered and have allowed substantial uncertainty to remain regarding the interpretation and application of the standard

Selected Campaign Tactics Permitted Under The National Labor Relations Act, John D. Frisby Jr.

Akron Law Review

The thrust of this discussion is to concentrate on several tactics utilized mainly by employers (Soliciting and/or Remedying Grievances during an Election Campaign and Interrogation and Polling) and a tactic used solely by the union (Waiver of Initiation Fees). Following these discussions, a chapter will be devoted to Interference with the Board's Election Process by both parties. Finally, the issue of Misrepresentations in an election campaign will be discussed in depth as this issue is very important today in light of the ever changing approach of the Board over the past several decades.

Seniority Systems And Title Vii, Arthur J. Marinelli

Akron Law Review

Seniority provisions frequently work to the disadvantage of minorities because earlier employment discrimination, prior to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,1 leaves them with fewer years of service. A conflict is thus created between the tradition of seniority and the goals of equal opportunity and affirmative action. The applicability of Title VII to seniority systems and the affirmative action tools for achieving the national policy of equal opportunity will be the focus of this article.

Impact Of Rico Upon Labor Unions, Robert M. Twiss

Akron Law Review

This paper will examine Title IX of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, relating to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO). It will then discuss how Title IX pertains to labor unions and whether the assets of a labor organization may be forfeited under the civil forfeiture provisions of the Act.

Judicial Interference With The Nlrb: Yeshiva University And The Definition Of "Managerial", Jane Clark Casey

Akron Law Review

On February 20, 1980, the United States Supreme Court, in NLRB v. Yeshiva University, decided that the full-time faculty members of Yeshiva University are managerial employees excluded from the coverage of the National Labor Relations Act. The decision was an affirmation of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and a rejection of the position taken by the National Labor Relations Board. This paper reviews judicial interference with National Labor Relations Board decision-making generally, comments on the merits of the Yeshiva decision, and assesses the particular significance of the Court's interference with the National Labor Relations Board definition of "managerial."

Title Vii, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Disclosure Policy, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission V. Associated Dry Goods Corp, Kenneth L. Wittenauer

Akron Law Review

Amid judicial turmoil, the EEOC developed procedural guidelines to best effectuate its interpretation of Title VII policies. The Commission's procedural regulations permit the disclosure of the investigative files of the individual and of individuals with similar charges against the same employer even before a lawsuit has been filed. However, the EEOC has been forced to restrict access to its files in those jurisdictions which follow Sears while maintaining a more liberal disclosure policy in the remaining jurisdictions.

Occupational Safety And Health Act, Industrial Union V. American Petroleum Institute, Patrick M. Vitone

Akron Law Review

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration [hereinafter cited as OSHA] was created pursuant to Title 29 of the United States Code, to define the terms of this battle. In Industrial Union v. American Petroleum Institute, the federal judiciary has taken a hand at making these terms somewhat more clear. It is the object of this casenote to analyze the impact of the Industrial Union decision on the regulatory processes of OSHA, a task which involves a synthesis of the plurality, concurring and dissenting opinions.

Secondary Picketing Of A Neutral Employer, Nlrb V. Retail Store Employees Union, Frances C. Elliott

Akron Law Review

This note compares Justice Powell's reasoning in Safeco with the rationale of Tree Fruits and concludes that although Justice Powell was correct in limiting the Tree Fruits principles, he may have created a more substantial problem for future courts attempting to apply the Safeco principles in light of Tree Fruits. This note will explore the constitutional ramifications of the Sajeco decision and of the Labor Act itself as interpreted by Justice Powell and conclude that the legislative history is clear in its mandate that all secondary picketing is violative per se of the Labor Act. To illustrate the difficulties which …

Power Of Municipal Corporations To Lay Off Employees, Atwood V. Judge, Warren R. Ross

Akron Law Review

At a time when the future of the American economy appears bleak, and the necessity to curtail vital urban services becomes commonplace in our cities, the significance of the decision rendered by the Ohio Court of Appeals for Columbiana County in Atwood v. Judge' deserves to be noted. The tension between the public interest in maintaining vital services within the community and the state mandate' that a city operate within its budget is not satisfactorily resolved by the court.

Gradually Developed Disabilities: A Dilemma For Workers' Compensation, M. Thomas Arnold

Akron Law Review

This article will examine some of these problems and attempt to make a few modest suggestions as to the direction future consideration of the compensability of gradually developed disabilities should take.

The Rejection Of Collective Bargaining Agreements Within Bankruptcy Reorganization: Reconciling A Legislative Dilemma, Gust Goutras

Akron Law Review

In 1981, a Dallas based conglomerate, LTV Corporation, spun-off a subsidiary known as Wilson Foods. The purpose for this action was that Wilson Foods, the nation's fifth largest meat packer was suffering from financial difficulties. Shortly after the spin-off, Wilson Foods entered into a collective bargaining agreement with its unionized employees, initiating a wage freeze through 1985. Under this arrangement, Wilson Foods' losses continued to escalate.

Exception To The Going And Coming Rule: Special Hazard Or Risk, Karen M. Holmes

Akron Law Review

In Littlefield v. Pillsbury Co., the Ohio Supreme Court specifically adopted the "special hazard or risk" exception to the "going and coming" rule. This exception extends workers' compensation coverage to claims for injuries sustained in accidents occurring outside an employer's premises, before or after work, if the injury occurs because of a hazard created by the employment.

Eligibility To Receive Death Benefits Plus Accrued Compensation; State Ex Rel. Nyitray V. Industrial Commission, Mary Clare O'Connor

Akron Law Review

In State ex re. Nyitray v. Industrial Commission, the Ohio Supreme Court recently overruled State ex rel. Spiker v. Industrial Commission, a forty year-old case which had interpreted two important sections of the Ohio Workers' Compensation Act. Under the new ruling, dependents of workers who die from work-related injuries or occupational diseases will be eligible to receive death benefits as well as compensation which had accrued to the worker up until the time of his death.

Workers' Compensation In Ohio: Scope Of Employment And The Intentional Tort, Donald P. Wiley

Akron Law Review

The purpose of this comment is to discuss the issues and developments in the intentional tort area. Although analogies are drawn from developments in other jurisdictions, the primary focus will be on Ohio decisions. As will be demonstrated, Ohio courts are now being faced with the following question: Is an employer protected from common law damages no matter how his employee is injured, or should he be "punished" by a common law action when he intentionally injures his employee? Within this query are many others: What is an intentional injury? Can the employee recover workman's compensation and common law damages …

Coercive Conduct And Evidentiary Hearings; Atr Wire And Cable Co. V. Nlrb, Patricia A. Mcintyre

Akron Law Review

Traditionally, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has closely adhered to this strict standard.' It has done so in compliance with one of the foremost policies of the Act - the alleviation of labor unrest by expediently certifying bargaining units. ATR Wire and Cable Co. v. NLRB, "I however, represents the current willingness of the Sixth Circuit to de-emphasize the importance of expediently certifying bargaining representatives. First, the circuit will not hesitate to remand a case with direction to the NLRB to conduct an evidentiary hearing when it determines that the Board adopted the Regional Director's recommendation to certify …