Labor and Employment Law Commons^™

Book Review: Work And Health, Eric Tucker

Articles & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

The Americans With Disabilities Act In The Unionized Workplace, Ann C. Hodges

Law Faculty Publications

This Article explores the issues raised by application of the ADA in the organized employment setting. The Article begins with an overview of the statute and then analyzes its applicability in the unionized workplace. In addition to recommending changes in the statute and regulations to clarify the obligations of employers and unions under the ADA, the Article makes recommendations with respect to judicial interpretation of the statute in three major areas. In Sections III C through E, the Article analyzes the circumstances under which the union should be held liable for discrimination, recommending that courts assess liability based on the …

Cease And Desist Orders, Innis Christie

Innis Christie Collection

Cease and desist orders: practice and procedure. The issue of an interim cease and desist order in the context of an illegal strike is a very speedy procedure in Nova Scotia. Regulation 24 simply provides that where a complaint is made under section 49 "Form 14 shall be used...". Section 49(1) of the Act provides that "any person who claims to be involved in or affected by" an illegal work stoppage may make a complaint to the Board. Normally, of course the complainant will be an employer, and by Form 14 the complainant will request the Board to issue an …

Enforcing Lawyers' Covenants Not To Compete, Glenn S. Draper

Washington Law Review

Courts uphold most post-employment covenants not to compete if they meet a three part reasonableness test that balances the interests of the employer, the employee, and the public. Lawyers' covenants not to compete, however, are treated differently. Courts hold lawyers' agreements that prohibit competition with their former firms per se invalid, in order to preserve clients' unrestricted freedom to choose their attorneys. Courts have split on whether to apply the per se rule to invalidate lawyers' agreements that discourage rather than prohibit post-employment competition. The California Supreme Court's recent decision in Howard v. Babcock, applying the familiar reasonableness test to …

Insulating Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedures From The Chilling Effect Of Defamation Litigation, Ruth A. Kennedy

Washington Law Review

The threat of defamation liability may undermine the push to encourage private employers to establish internal grievance procedures for handling sexual harassment complaints. Courts have recognized two defenses to defamation claims arising out of employers' sexual harassment investigations: the qualified privilege and the intracorporate immunity rule. Neither of these defenses adequately balances the need to insulate grievance procedures against the desire to protect the reputation of the employee accused of harassment. This Comment proposes the adoption of a new grievance procedure privilege which would ensure the integrity of grievance procedures while maximizing the protection afforded an accused employee.

Between The Buttons: Employer Distribution Of Antiunion Insignia, John W. Teeter Jr

Faculty Articles

Employers should be forbidden from offering antiunion insignia to their workers. This is not contrary to current labor rules that allow employers and their supervisors to wear insignia. The workers' rights would still be safeguarded because employees would remain free to buy or create their own antiunion insignia. The goal is to protect the right of workers to debate, campaign, and vote on unionization with no harm to legitimate needs for self expression.

Generally, workers are entitled to wear campaign insignia regardless of whether it supports or decries unionization. In this manner, workers can openly proclaim their beliefs and seek …

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Employment Law, Paul G. Beers

University of Richmond Law Review

The focus of this article is upon employment law in Virginia during 1993 and the first half of 1994. In addition, significant judicial decisions from 1992 are covered. Workers' compensation and unemployment compensation are excluded as topics. Public sector employment law also lies outside the scope of this article. Nevertheless, two decisions of the Supreme Court of Virginia which involve public employees are analyzed. The most turbulent and rapidly evolving area of Virginia employment law lies in tort. The decisions discussed below indicate that employees stand only a modest chance of recovering against their employers in wrongful discharge suits based …

Corporate Social Responsibility Through Constituency Statutes: Legend Or Lie?, Gary Von Stange

Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Rico: Is It A Panacea Or A Bitter Pill For Labor Unions, Union Democracy And Collective Bargaining?, Steven T. Ieronimo

Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Does Title Vii Contemplate Personal Liability For Employee/Agent Defendants?, Janice R. Franke

Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Kraus V. New Rochelle Hosp. Medical Ctr.: Are Whistleblowers Finally Getting The Protection They Need?, Joan Corbo

Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Union Organizing After Lechmere, Inc. V. Nlrb - A Time To Reexamine The Rule Of Babcock & Wilcox, Alan L. Zmija

Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Verbal Sexual Harassment As Equality-Depriving Conduct, Keith R. Fentonmiller

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Part I of this Note argues that commentators like Browne and some courts have mischaracterized the harm of verbal sexual harassment as mere "offense." Rather, the true harm of a sexually hostile environment created by words and expressive conduct extends beyond offense, emotional distress, and economic displacement; at bottom, the harm is equality-deprivation.

Part II explains how a sexually hostile environment is equality-depriving by arguing that words which create a sexually hostile environment must be understood in historical and social context. Words can be used not only to communicate ideas but also to perform acts of coercion and sexual abuse. …

Rethinking Rawls' Theory Of Liberty And Rights, James W. Nickel

Articles

No abstract provided.

'If I Knew Then What I Know Now': The Role Of After-Acquired Evidence In Employment Discrimination Cases: An Analysis Of Mckennon V. Nashville Banner, Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case McKennon v. Nashville Banner Publishing Company, 513 U.S. 352 (1995). The author expected the Court to address whether after acquired evidence of employee misconduct is a complete defense for an employer's termination decision which would otherwise violate the Age Discrimination in Employment Act or is it relevant only to the scope of the remedy afforded to an employee terminated in violation of the Act.

Drug Testing/Use, Sandra S. Klein

Journal Articles

Drug testing is one of the most controversial of recent privacy issues. The bibliography which follows provides the reader with access to a wide range of discussion on this topic which is, or should be, of interest to everyone. Whether in our private lives, or on the job, drug use and drug testing will have an impact on every one of us.

Employee/Employer, Sandra S. Klein

Journal Articles

The issue of privacy as it relates to employment in general is one of great concern, both to employers and employees. Both groups are faced with increasing threats to their individual or corporate privacy. Given that such threats carry personal, economic and social consequences, it is not surprising that many people are concerned. The bibliography which follows provides the reader with many sources which should prove useful to those well-versed in the subject, as well as to those who are looking at this issue for the first time.

Professional Employee Or Supervisory Employee: Are Nurses Protected By The Nlra? An Analysis Of Nlrb V. Health Care & Retirement Corp., Barbara J. Fick

Journal Articles

This article previews the Supreme Court case NLRB v. Health Care and Retirement Corp. of America, 511 U.S. 571 (1994). The National Labor Relations Act protects employees' right to unionize and their actions aimed at improving working conditions. The Act does not, however, protect supervisory employees on the premise that employers deserve the undivided loyalty of their agents. In this case, the Court is asked to decide if nurses who direct the work of aides and orderlies are employees protected from discharge in their efforts to improve working conditions, or are supervisors who can be fired for such conduct.

The Making Of The Model Employment Termination Act, Theodore J. St. Antoine

Articles

Courts in about 45 states have ameliorated the harshness of employment at will, but the common-law modifications still exhibit serious deficiencies. Legislation is needed. The Model Employment Termination Act proposes a balanced compromise. It would protect most employees against discharge without good cause and it would relieve employers of the risk of devastating financial losses When liability is imposed. Arbitration procedures under the Model Act would also be simpler, faster, and cheaper than existing court proceedings.

Housework, Wages, And The Division Of Housework Time For Employed Spouses, Joni Hersch, Leslie S. Stratton

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

While the popular press may have declared housework passe with the advent of the two-income household (see "Housework is Obsolescent" by Barbara Ehrenreich [1993] for one such example), the facts indicate that housework continues to consume a substantial amount of time, particularly for women. While estimates vary widely depending on the sample examined and the methods used to generate the information, representative values of housework time range around 6-14 hours per week for men and 20-30 hours for women. Since wages are likely to be influenced both directly and indirectly by the time and effort devoted to other activities, and …

Chaos And The Law Of Borrowed Servant: An Argument For Consistency, J. Dennis Hynes

Publications

No abstract provided.

The Washington Industrial Safety And Health Act: Wisha's Twentieth Anniversary, 1973-1993, Alan S. Paja

Seattle University Law Review

Occupational safety and health did not begin in 1973 in the State of Washington. Although the historical roots of the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act of 1973 (WISHA) run deep, the adoption of the Act significantly affected the lives of all working men and women in the state. This Article will examine that historical perspective, covering both state and federal law, and will comprehensively detail the current law relating to occupational safety and health in the State of Wasington.

Liability For Prenatal Harm In The Workplace: The Need For Reform, Steven S. Paskal

Seattle University Law Review

This Article describes the causes of action available under current Washington law when a workplace hazard contributes to an adverse reproductive outcome such as miscarriage, birth defects, transplacental carcinogenesis, or other prenatal injury. Part II delineates the wide variety of workplace conditions that may lead to an adverse reproductive outcome, ranging from emotional stress, cigarette smoke, and fall hazards to more traditional teratogen exposures such as lead. Part III describes the types of reproductive harm that can form the basis of a lawsuit in Washington. Part IV notes the theories of liability and the potential defendants, including employers, co-employees, consultants, …

From Agoraphobia To Xenophobia: Phobias And Other Anxiety Disorders Under The Americans With Disabilities Act, John M. Casey

Seattle University Law Review

The ADA fails to address behavior disorders in general and phobias in particular. This Comment proposes that the EEOC take two actions. First, the EEOC should pass administrative rules that settle the question of which standards to use in determining whether an individual is mentally impaired. Second, and more impor tantly, the EEOC should issue interpretive guidance that acknowledges the burdens facing persons with hidden behavioral anomalies and phobias, and gives these persons additional help under the Act. Part II of this Comment describes the ADA generally. It explains the Act's purpose and summarizes the Act's legal requirements. Part III …

St. Mary's Honor Center V. Hicks: Has The Supreme Court Turned Its Back On Title Vii By Rejecting Pretext-Only, Louis M. Rappaport

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

Erisa, Preemption And Comprehensive Federal Health Care: A Call For "Cooperative Federalism" To Preserve The States' Role In Formulating Health Care Policy, James E. Holloway

Campbell Law Review

This article revisits the familiar theme of federalism and health care policy. It takes the position that federalism is decreasing and will decrease further under national health care that is fast becoming, if not already so, an exclusive field of federal regulation. The article draws this conclusion from three influences on federal regulation and policy: (1) the expanding preemptive effects of employee benefit regulation on state health care, as well as other law and public policy; (2) the increasing public policy favoring a comprehensive national health care policy; and (3) the existing dominance of federal medical care and assistance regulation …

Struggling Through The Thicket: Section 301 And The Washington Supreme Court, Mark L. Adams

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In this article, Professor Adams examines preemption doctrine under section 301 of the Labor Management Relations Act, focusing primarily on the Washington Supreme Court's 1992 decision in Commodore v. University Mechanical Contractors, Inc. The author traces the history of section 301 cases, comparing two different theories regarding its correct application. Under one theory, an employee's state law claim will be preempted if the underlying right is negotiable or if the employer's defenses implicate the collective bargaining agreement. Under the second theory, an employee's state law claim is preempted only when the right at issue derives from the provisions of a …

Employment Discrimination: Recent Developments In The Supreme Court (Symposium: The Supreme Court And Local Government Law: The 1992-93 Term), Eileen Kaufman

Scholarly Works

At a symposium entitled, “The Supreme Court and Local Government Law; The 1992/93 Term”, Professor Eileen Kaufman spoke about the cases involving employment discrimination that were decided during that particular Term, Hazen Paper Company v. Biggins and St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks. While Hazen is an age discrimination case and St. Mary's is a Title VII case, they can be viewed as companion cases which serve to explain what an employment discrimination plaintiff must now establish when attempting to prove disparate treatment by indirect evidence. By way of preview, suffice it to say that plaintiff's task has been made …

Democracy And Domination In The Law Of Workplace Cooperation: From Bureaucratic To Flexible Production, Mark Barenberg

Faculty Scholarship

In May of 1993, President Clinton's Commission for the Future of Worker-Management Relations began its investigation of whether a major overhaul of United States labor law is necessary to encourage high-performance workplaces and labor-management cooperation. Even if its recommendations, due in November 1994, do not yield immediate congressional fruit, the Commission's work is likely to influence the study and politics of labor law reform for some time to come. The Commission is chaired by John Dunlop, the eminent labor-relations specialist and former Secretary of Labor. Its membership includes some of the nation's foremost academic and political proponents of far-reaching labor …

Dealing With Sexual Harrassment In The Workplace: The Promise And Limitations Of Human Rights Discourse, Fay Faraday

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

This paper examines the value of liberal rights in launching a political movement against sexual harassment, while reassessing their limitations for changing the practice of harassment. For rights to benefit women, decision makers must mean the same thing women do when speaking of sexual harassment. The paper analyzes how dominant ideology misshapes the delivery of rights against sexual harassment, normalizes male aggression, and reconstructs the struggle into one not about power but about taste, free speech, and a conflict between abstract rights. The paper examines how other rights discourses can empower women to combat harassment in a proactive way.