OBAMA SUPPORTS “BAN THE BOX” FOR FEDERAL JOB APPLICATIONS

Announcements, Background Checks, Criminal Background Checks, Discrimination, Employment Law & Verdicts, Hiring, Interesting Reading, Job Success

“President Obama said Monday he was directing federal agencies to “ban the box” in their hiring decisions, prohibiting them from asking prospective government employees about their criminal histories on job applications. Speaking at Rutgers University in Newark, N.J., where he highlighted programs meant to ease the reentry of former inmates into society, Obama said the federal government “should not use criminal…

BEST PRACTICES FOR COMPLYING WITH NEW YORK CITY FAIR CHANCE ACT

Background Checks, Credit Checks, Criminal Background Checks, Discrimination, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Hiring, Interesting Reading, Job Success, Lawsuits, Productivity

“Given the imminent effective date of New York City’s Fair Chance Act, employers may be wondering what they need to do to comply with the law.  As many employers are aware, effective October 27, 2015, the Fair Chance Act amends the New York City Human Rights Law to prohibit most employers from inquiring about criminal…

CALIFORNIA ACTS TO OUTLAW PRE-EMPLOYMENT MANDATORY AGREEMENTS TO ARBITRATE LABOR CODE CLAIMS

Announcements, Employment Law & Verdicts, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Interesting Reading, Job Success, Lawsuits, Legislature, Policy Updates & Changes

“In late August, the California Senate and Assembly passed AB 465, which, if signed by Governor Jerry Brown, will make pre-employment mandatory agreements to arbitrate Labor Code violations against California public policy starting January 1, 2016. AB 465 would create a new statute that prohibits employers from requiring a candidate to “waive any legal right, penalty,…

BMW SETTLES EEOC CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK SUIT FOR 1.6 MILLION

Background Checks, Criminal Background Checks, Discrimination, Employment Law & Verdicts, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Hiring, Interesting Reading, Job Success, Lawsuits, Legislature, Productivity

“BMW Manufacturing Co. L.L.C. will pay $1.6 million to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit that charged it was liable for race discrimination in connection with its former criminal background checks policy, which allegedly disproportionately affected African-Americans, the agency said Tuesday. The 2013 lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Spartanburg, North Carolina,…

UBER BACKGROUND CHECKS MISSED CRIMINAL RECORDS

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“The background-check service that ride-hailing company Uber uses to screen potential drivers did not flag the criminal records of 25 drivers who gave thousands of rides to customers in Los Angeles and San Francisco, prosecutors said Wednesday. The findings were made public in an amendment to a consumer protection lawsuit filed last year by the district attorneys…

ANOTHER CIRCUIT COURT RULES PAID SUSPENSION IS NOT ADVERSE EMPLOYMENT ACTION FOR TITLE VII

Criminal Background Checks, Discrimination, Employee Fraud, Employment Law & Verdicts, Interesting Reading, Job Success, Lawsuits

“Addressing an issue of first impression, the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania), recently held that an employee’s suspension with pay is not an adverse employment action for purposes of Title VII. In doing so, the Third Circuit has joined several of its sister Circuits across the country, including the…

TRUCKING FIRM TO PAY UP IN EEOC PRE-EMNPLOYMENT EXAM CASE

Background Checks, Discrimination, Employment Law & Verdicts, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Hiring, Interesting Reading, Job Success, Lawsuits, Legislature, Productivity

“An Indianapolis trucking firm has agreed to pay $200,000 to settle an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission disability discrimination case, in which it was charged with requiring pre-employment medical exams. The EEOC said Tuesday that Indianapolis-based Celadon Trucking Services Inc. violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by subjecting applicants to medical exams before making a conditional…

SEC CLARIFIES WHISTLE BLOWER PROTECTIONS AGAINST EMPLOYER RETALIATIONS

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“The Securities and Exchange Commission has issued an interpretive rule clarifying that whistleblowers are protected by retaliation by employers even if they have not reported their concerns to the SEC first. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 included a section offering incentives and protections to individuals who report possible violations of the…

TSA BACKGROUND CHECKS PASS 73 PEOPLE WITH POSSIBLE TERRORIST TIES

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“ Background checks by the Transportation Security Administration cleared 73 people for access to secure airport areas even though their names were on a federal database of possible terrorists, a senior official told a Senate committee Tuesday. The latest security lapse came to light as John Roth, the inspector general at the Department of Homeland Security,…

LA CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO RAISE MINIMUM WAGE TO $15.00 BY 2020

Employment Law & Verdicts, Hiring, Interesting Reading, Job Success, Legislature, Productivity

“The City Council has voted in favor, 14-2, to increase Los Angeles’ minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next five years. The council met at 10 a.m. Tuesday to discuss the proposal, which was unanimously approved on May 13 by its Economic Development Committee. It’s the first of two votes needed to finalize the bill. “Today, help…