Labor and Employment Law Commons^™

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 …

Public Sector Collectice Bargaining In Ohio: Before And After Senate Bill No. 133, Steven B. Chesler, Shawn E. Smith

Akron Law Review

When 1983 ushered in a new administration more sensitive to the glaring absence of such legislation, the passage of a comprehensive public employees' collective bargaining law was clearly imminent. This article will examine the inadequacies of Ohio's law prior to the enactment of Senate Bill No. 133; summarize the provisions of this new statute; and note its impact on public employees and their employee organizations.

Secondary Handbilling: The Need For A New Response, Heather Briggs, Curtis L. Mack

Akron Law Review

This article will examine both the reasoning between the two diverging lines of cases regarding secondary handbilling and picketing, and the possible avenues of relief which might be available to the neutral employer that finds itself caught in the crossfire of a labor dispute.

The Excessive Use Of Presumptions And The Role Of Subjective Employee Intent In Effectuating The Purposes Of The National Labor Relations Act, Stuart Newman, Diane S. Shepherd

Akron Law Review

This article will first examine the origin and development of significant presumptions and second, suggest a method by which the Board could better protect the Section 7 rights of employees without risking destabilization of the collective-bargaining process.

Mandatory Retirement And Impact Discrimination Under The Age Discrimination In Employment Act: You'll Get Yours When You're 70, Maxine S. Thomas

Akron Law Review

This article will consider disparate impact analysis in the context of mandatory retirement of the pre-seventy employee under the ADEA. While disparate treatment analysis is clearly appropriate under the current legislative scheme, disparate impact analysis should also be available in age discrimination cases which consider mandatory retirement.

National Gay Task Force V. Board Of Education Of Oklahoma City, Susan Fitch

Akron Law Review

The National Gay Task Force (NGTF) looked to the courts for relief in challenging an Oklahoma statute which attempted to regulate teachers' speech. National Gay Task Force v. Board of Education of Oklahoma City marks the first time since the beginning of the gay rights movement that the United States Supreme Court has granted certiorari to a case which had homosexuality as its central issue. The result in National Gay Task Force has left both the challengers and the defenders of the Oklahoma statute claiming victory.

The NGTF claims that although the portion of the statute which prohibits teachers from …

Local Number 93, International Association Of Firefighters V. City Of Cleveland: A Consent Decree Is Not An Adjudicated Order For Purposes Of Title Vii, Paul Leslie Jackson

Akron Law Review

This note will examine the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Local 93, International Association of Firefighters v. City of Cleveland, and explore its potential implications in future Title VII actions. The issue the Supreme Court had to decide was whether a consent decree is a form of court ordered relief for purposes of Title VII litigation.

The New Workers' Compensatin Law In Ohio: Senate Bill 307 Was No Accident, Scott Washam

Akron Law Review

In Part I, this comment traces the evolution of workers' compensation laws in this country with particular emphasis on the development of the Act in Ohio. In Part II, the relevant caselaw is discussed, including Blankenship v. Cincinnati Milacron Chemicals, Jones v. VIP Development Company, and their progeny which led to the enactment of Senate Bill 307. In Part III, Bill 30710 is considered along with its implications for the injured worker.

Employment At Will In Ohio: Working From Within, Brian Wilson

Akron Law Review

This comment seeks to measure the parameters of Ohio's exceptions to the at-will rule in relation to other states' views on this issue. Also included is an examination of the interplay between the legislature and the judiciary in affecting change in Ohio. A proposal designed to "solidify" the public policy exception to the at-will rule after Phung v. Waste Management, Inc., a recent Ohio Supreme Court case, will also be presented.

Title Vii: Legal Protection Against Sexual Harassment, Arthur J. Marinelli Jr.

Akron Law Review

The purpose of this article is to examine early case law and recent court decisions involving sexual harassment, especially Meritor v. Vinson. The article will discuss employer avoidance of liability under the EEOC guidelines and will urge employers to implement steps to investigate, prohibit, and sensitize supervisors to sexual harassment.

Rocky River V. Serb: Second-Guessing The State Legislature, Timothy D. Rudy

Akron Law Review

This note discusses why Rocky River was wrongly decided as a matter of constitutional adjudication and why it is likely to be overruled, irrespective of a personnel change on the court. The note concludes that the decision, written by Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, was weak and based on questionable policy. The majority misapplied recent precedent on local government's home-rule powers, ignored another provision of the state constitution granting the state legislature unlimited authority in the field of public employee welfare, and ignored the stare decisis effect of its recent decisions which found the Act was a general law of statewide …

The Respective Burdens Of Proof In Title Vii Cases: Price Waterhouse V. Hopkins Confuses The Issue, Gregory T. Rossi

Akron Law Review

employed women, and other minorities throughout the United States. The opinion has several significant aspects. First, the case defines the respective evidentiary burdens of a plaintiff-employee and defendant-employer in a Title VIP suit, when the plaintiff-employee has shown that the defendant-employer's employment action resulted from a consideration of legitimate and illegitimate factors (i.e., "mixed motive case"). Second, the express allocation of the burdens of proof resolved a conflict among the various Courts of Appeals. Third, the Court failed to issue a majority opinion. This is significant in light of the current republican administration and its influence on what is now …

Watson And Subjective Hiring Practices: The Continuing Saga Of Industrial Psychology, Title Vii And Personnel Selection, Daniel L. Bell

Akron Law Review

This comment will analyze Watson from both a legal and industrial psychological perspective. Part one of the comment discusses the legal impact of Watson. First, the Supreme Court's analytical framework for Title VII discrimination claims is presented. Next, Watson is analyzed in the context of prior case law to consider its potential impact on employment discrimination litigation.

Part two concentrates on the role of industrial psychology in the Watson decision. First, the comment introduces industrial psychology. The association of industrial psychology, Title VII, and personnel selection is presented next. Finally, the comment presents current industrial psychological research concerning several …

Chalk V. United States District Court Central District Of California: A Major Victory For Aids Employees Under The Federal Rehabilitation Act Of 1973, Janet A. Michael

Akron Law Review

This note will first review the facts of Chalk v. United States District Court Central District of California and will present a broad overview of AIDS, outlining current medical knowledge of the disease. Second, this note will analyze the Rehabilitation Act, examining regulations, legislative history, and case law interpreting the Act. Finally, this note will analyze the impact of Chalk on future employment cases.