Employment Law for the Paralegal (West Legal Studies Series)

Front Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 CONTENTS......Page 6 PREFACE......Page 13 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 17 Master-Servant Relationship......Page 18 Principal-Agent Relationship......Page 19 Ratification......Page 20 Who Is an Employer?......Page 21 Overview......Page 22 Legal Tests for Determining IC or Employee Status......Page 23 Common Law Economic Realities Test......Page 24 Common Law Hybrid Test......Page 25 Safe Haven Provision—Section 530 of the Revenue Act of 1978......Page 26 Benefits of Hiring Independent Contractors......Page 32 Written IC Agreements......Page 33 Intellectual Property Issues with the IC......Page 35 A Recent Court Decision Distinguishing “Independent Contractor”......Page 37 The Emergence of Temporary or Leased Workers/Employees......Page 39 Doctrine of Joint Employment......Page 41 Doctrine of Employment at Will......Page 46 Employment Contracts......Page 47 Public Policy Exception to Employment at Will......Page 49 Wrongful Discharge Exception to Employment at Will......Page 50 Overview......Page 54 Advertising......Page 55 Employment Agencies......Page 56 Employment Applications......Page 57 The Interview Process......Page 58 Preemployment Testing......Page 59 Background Reference Checks and Preemployment Investigations......Page 64 Offer Letters......Page 65 Compensation......Page 66 Duration of Contract......Page 67 Termination......Page 68 Modification......Page 69 Statutory Limitations on Employment Contracts......Page 70 History of Affirmative Action......Page 71 Quotas in Affirmative Action......Page 74 FLSA Definition of the Employer-Employee Relationship......Page 78 Definition of Employee......Page 79 White-Collar Exemptions......Page 80 Total Exemptions (both overtime and minimum wage) under FLSA......Page 82 Compensation for Irregular Hours—Belo Contracts......Page 83 Duties Imposed on Non-Exempt Employers under the FLSA......Page 84 Trainees......Page 85 Calculating Hours Worked and Workweek......Page 86 Record Retention......Page 88 Statute of Limitations in FLSA Claims......Page 89 The Equal Pay Act......Page 90 Federal Child Labor Law......Page 92 Overview......Page 95 Qualified Retirement Plans......Page 96 Managed Care Programs......Page 101 Plans Covered by COBRA......Page 102 Notice Requirements under COBRA......Page 103 Group Health Plan Reform (HIPAA)......Page 104 Summary of HIPAA Provisions......Page 105 Group Term Life Insurance......Page 110 Severance Pay Benefits......Page 111 Overview......Page 114 The Importance of Job Descriptions in Employee Evaluations......Page 115 The Role of Employee Handbooks in Evaluating Employees......Page 116 The Importance of a Probationary Period for Employee Evaluation Purposes......Page 117 1. Oral Warnings......Page 118 4. Meeting with Personnel Manager and Employee......Page 119 Guidelines for Effective Performance Evaluations......Page 121 Disparate Impact......Page 122 Promotions......Page 123 Express Contracts of Employment......Page 126 Implied Contracts of Employment......Page 127 Breach of Employment Contract......Page 129 Past Lost Wages (Back Pay)......Page 130 Duty to Mitigate Damages......Page 131 Elements of Promissory Estoppel Claim......Page 132 Discharge in Violation of Common Law Public Policy......Page 133 Defenses to Public Policy Claims......Page 138 Remedies/Damages Available......Page 140 Proving Constructive Discharge......Page 141 Remedies for Constructive Discharge......Page 144 Early Retirement Offers......Page 145 Defamation Claims in Wrongful Discharge Cases......Page 147 Unemployment Compensation for Terminated Employees......Page 149 Separation Agreements......Page 151 The Model Uniform Employment Termination Act......Page 152 Disparate Treatment......Page 156 Rebutting the Complainant’s Qualifications......Page 162 Surviving a Pretext Allegation by Plaintiff......Page 164 Retaliation......Page 172 Responsibility of On-Site Employers for Discrimination Involving Temporary Employees......Page 174 Plaintiff’s Duty to Mitigate Damages......Page 175 Compensatory Damages......Page 176 Punitive Damages......Page 178 Front Pay......Page 179 Attorneys’ Fees and Costs......Page 180 Liquidated Damages......Page 181 Civil Penalties......Page 182 Remedies and Damages Available for ADA Discrimination......Page 183 Employee......Page 187 Physical or Mental Impairment......Page 188 Discrimination......Page 189 Substantially Limits a Major Life Activity......Page 191 Essential Functions of the Job......Page 194 Regarded as Having Such an Impairment......Page 195 Association with an Individual with a Disability......Page 196 Reasonable Accommodation......Page 197 Overview......Page 200 Disclosure of Mental Disability......Page 201 Dealing with AIDS in the Workplace......Page 202 Determining AIDS Impairment under ADA......Page 203 Otherwise Qualified Status of Employee with AIDS or HIV Infection......Page 204 Adverse Employment Action Related to Disability— Not Because of Disability......Page 205 EEOC Filing Prerequisites and Procedures......Page 206 Disabled Individual Poses a Direct Threat......Page 208 Application for Social Security or Other Disability Benefits......Page 211 Preemployment Inquiries......Page 212 Coordination with FMLA......Page 213 Remedies for ADA Violations......Page 214 Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967......Page 217 Individual Supervisor as Employer......Page 220 The Single Employer Test......Page 221 Individual Employees Protected......Page 223 Impact of Use of Term Overqualified with Applicants......Page 224 Mandatory Retirement Age and Exempt Employees......Page 225 Early Retirement Incentives......Page 227 Reduction-in-Force and the Issue of Age Discrimination......Page 228 Targeting Higher-Paid Workers in Downsizing......Page 230 Knowing and Voluntary Requirement for Waivers......Page 232 Elements of a Prima Facie Case—Disparate Treatment......Page 233 Elements of a Prima Facie Case—Reduction in Force......Page 235 Elements of a Prima Facie Case—Hostile Work Environment Claims......Page 237 Legitimate Nondiscriminatory Reason for Employer’s Decision......Page 239 EEOC v. Texas Instruments, Inc.,100 F.3d 1173, 1182 (5th Cir. 1996)......Page 240 Age as a Bona Fide Occupational Qualification......Page 241 Plaintiff’s Ultimate Burden-Proving Pretext......Page 242 Rhodes v. Guiberson Oil, 75 F.3d 989 (5th Cir. 1996)......Page 243 Age-Related Comments......Page 244 Administrative Procedures under the ADEA......Page 245 McKennon v. Nashville Banner Pub. Co.,......Page 246 Overview......Page 250 Race Discrimination under Title VII......Page 251 Color Discrimination......Page 252 Disparate Treatment......Page 253 Establishing a Prima Facie Case of Race Discrimination......Page 254 Proving Pretext......Page 256 United Steelworkers of America, AFL-CIO v. Weber, 443 U.S. 193......Page 257 Plaintiff’s Prima Facie Case......Page 259 Defeating the Business Necessity Defense......Page 260 Remedies......Page 261 Statutory Requirements Affecting National Origin Discrimination......Page 264 Language Discrimination as National Origin Discrimination......Page 265 Espinoza v. Farah Manufacturing Co., 414 U.S. 86 (1973)......Page 266 Disparate Treatment......Page 268 Dimaranan v. Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, 775 F. Supp. 338 (C.D.Cal. 1991)......Page 269 Disparate Impact of English-Only Rule......Page 270 Garcia v. Spun Steak Co, 998 F.2d 1480 (9th Cir. 1993), later proceeding, 114 S.Ct. 1292, and cert denied, 114 S.Ct. 2726 (1994)......Page 271 Notice of the English-Only Rule......Page 272 Business Necessity Defense of English-Only Rules......Page 273 Prado v. L. Luria & Son, 975 F. Supp. 1349 (S.D. Fla. 1997)......Page 274 English Proficiency Rules......Page 276 Overview......Page 279 Religious Beliefs......Page 280 Selection of Accommodation......Page 281 Types of Accommodations......Page 282 Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hardison, 432 U.S. 63 (1977)......Page 283 Nature of Beliefs......Page 286 Disparate Treatment......Page 287 Hall v. Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp., 27 F. Supp. 2d, 1029, 78 FEP 1756 (W.D. Tenn. 1998)......Page 288 Religious Harassment......Page 289 Bona Fide Occupational Qualification......Page 290 Religious Advocacy in the Workplace......Page 291 Overview......Page 295 Definition of Sexual Harassment—EEOC......Page 296 Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment......Page 297 Hostile Work Environment......Page 298 Retaliation......Page 301 Same-Sex Harassment......Page 302 Constructive Discharge......Page 303 Administrative Proceedings......Page 304 Nonemployees......Page 308 New Standard for Employer Liability—Post–Faragher and Ellerth Supreme Court Decisions......Page 309 Investigating the Claim—Investigation by the Employer......Page 312 Responding to EEOC Charge......Page 313 Initiation of Corrective Action—Prompt and Effective Remedial......Page 314 Discovery Conducted by the Defendant Employer......Page 317 Sex Plus Marriage......Page 318 Discrimination on the Basis of Physical Characteristics......Page 319 Glass Ceiling Issues in Discrimination......Page 320 Nonsexual Gender Harassment......Page 321 Hiring Issues Relating to Pregnancy Discrimination......Page 322 Pregnancy Leave and Benefits......Page 323 Positions Held Open for Pregnancy or Maternity Leave......Page 324 Proving Pregnancy Discrimination......Page 325 Fetal Protection Policies......Page 327 Reproduction Discrimination......Page 328 Statistics on EEOC and FEP Pregnancy Discrimination Charges Filed......Page 329 Employers Covered by FMLA......Page 333 Length of Leave......Page 334 Unpaid Leave Versus Paid Leave......Page 335 Intermittent Leave or Reduced Leave Schedule......Page 336 Serious Health Condition......Page 338 Right of Reinstatement to the Same or Equivalent Position......Page 340 General......Page 341 Key Employees Exception......Page 342 Medical Certification......Page 345 Notice to Employee Regarding FMLA Rights......Page 346 Required Notices to Employees Requesting FMLA Leave......Page 350 Example of Interference/Discrimination Found by the Court......Page 354 Example of No Interference/Discrimination Found by the Court......Page 355 Retention Period......Page 356 Complaints Filed with the Secretary of Labor......Page 357 Damages Available for FMLA Violations......Page 358 Privacy Rights under Constitutional Law......Page 361 Privacy Rights under Common Law......Page 362 Personal Surveillance......Page 363 Electronic Mail (e-mail) Surveillance......Page 364 Workplace Searches......Page 365 O’Connor v. Ortega, 480 U.S. 709 (1987)......Page 366 Drug and Alcohol Abuse......Page 367 Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988......Page 369 Types of Employer Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs......Page 370 Preemployment Testing......Page 373 Consequences of Positive Tests and Refusals of Testing......Page 374 Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988......Page 375 Administration of a Polygraph Test......Page 376 Access to Personnel Information......Page 378 Defamation Liability Potential......Page 379 Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act......Page 380 Overview......Page 383 Administration of Immigration Laws......Page 384 Employers’ Duties Regarding Alien Employment......Page 385 North American Free-Trade Agreement (NAFTA)......Page 388 Sanctions......Page 390 Recordkeeping Requirements......Page 391 Antidiscrimination Provisions......Page 392 F and M-Category Visas......Page 393 O-Category Visas......Page 394 Permanent Resident Visas......Page 395 Citizenship Application......Page 396 Immigration Forms and Information......Page 397 Overview......Page 400 Employer Requirements under OSHA......Page 402 Reporting Requirements......Page 403 Penalties for OSHA Violations......Page 407 Abatement Certification......Page 408 Obtaining Information about OSHA......Page 409 Compensable Injury under Workers’ Compensation Laws......Page 411 Preexisting Diseases......Page 412 Benefits......Page 413 Coordination of Benefits......Page 414 Safety Programs......Page 415 Medical Care......Page 416 Appendix A – Employment Handbook Acknowledgment......Page 422 Appendix B – U.S. Department of Labor Regional Offices......Page 423 Appendix C – Record Retention Requirements......Page 425 Appendix D – Notices (Posting) Required (Under Federal Employment Law)......Page 427 Appendix E – Record Retention Requirements Under ADEA......Page 429 Appendix F – Internet Sites Relating To General Legal Topics......Page 430 Appendix G – State Workers’ Compensation Agencies......Page 431 Appendix H – EEOC Document Request Under FOIA......Page 436 Appendix I – Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Agreement of Nondisclosure......Page 437 Appendix J – Authorization To Obtain Medical Records......Page 438 Appendix K – State Fair Employment Practice Offices......Page 439 Appendix L – State Laws Prohibiting Discrimination on the Basis of AIDS or HIV......Page 446 GLOSSARY......Page 447 INDEX......Page 456

This practical text covers the laws and applications relating to employment and employment law. It includes coverage of ADA, EOE, Worker's Compensation, the employer/employee relationship, arbitration, anti-discrimination laws, and much, much more. Written in a clear and, concise manner, this book makes employment law accessible to the practitioner and the businessperson alike.