Category: EMPLOYMENT
Minnesota’s Connect 700 Program: Aiming to Increase Representation of Workers With Disabilities
In 2014, a Minnesota demographic survey conducted on State employees showed that less than 4% self-identified as having a disability. When compared to the presence of employees with a disability statewide and nationwide, 7.9% and 10.5% respectively, it was evident that the State’s workforce did not reflect the diversity of Minnesota’s population of individuals with …
International Women’s Day – A Call for Change!
International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8th, is a time to reflect on the progress made for women over the last 100 years and celebrate their courageous acts throughout history.[1] It is also a time to call for continued change. The Continued Uneven Playing Field Despite the movement to propel women’s opportunities, corporate America continues …
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House of Representatives Passes Legislation Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination
Older workers are one significant step closer to enjoying the same federal protections as other protected classes after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (“POWADA”) on January 15, 2020. The Bill, if enacted, would amend the standard for employees alleging discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, …
DISCRIMINATION CAN MAKE JOB-HUNTING IN MINNESOTA IMPOSSIBLE
Applying for a job can be the ultimate test of one’s confidence, especially in light of a new study which found that employment interviews are more often given to candidates with current jobs or who were recently laid off, as opposed to those candidates who had been unemployed more than 26 weeks. In fact, many …
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Did You Know? Minnesota Law Protects Parents Who Take Time Off Work to Attend Their Child’s School Activities
We often write about the more common protections for employees in Minnesota, such as protections against discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation for reporting law violations (i.e. whistle blowers), and protections for employees who take medical leave. But, did you know that Minnesota also provides lesser-known protections to employees? For example, Minnesota law allows employees to take …
Employee’s Rights When Summoned For Jury Duty
What rights does an employee have when jury duty calls? This is a common question many Minnesotan employees have as they followed the media’s coverage of the high-profile case of Mohamed Noor, a police officer on trial for shooting Justine Ruszczyk (Damond) after she reported a crime being committed near her home. The trial started …
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Truck Drivers, Couriers, and Delivery Service Workers Beware! You May Be Misclassified.
Employee misclassification has become a huge problem in the United States. Employers who want to increase profits by not paying withholding and other taxes and escaping liability for workers’ compensation and unemployment claims will often claim that their workers are ‘independent contractors’ or ‘consultants’ (ICs), even though these people perform jobs that go to the …
5 Things to Do After Getting Fired
You’ve just been fired, or you suspect you’re about to be fired. And you think that your termination may be for an illegal reason (e.g., discrimination, retaliation, blowing the whistle). Now what? 1. Do Not Quit / Do Not Sign Anything. Most workers who suspect termination is imminent often believe it is better to quit …
20 Common Ways Employers Violate Employee Rights
Although Minnesota is an “employment at-will” state—meaning the employer may terminate an employee at any time for any reason—there are, in fact, exceptions to the rule. Since 1967 the Minnesota Human Rights Act has served as the State’s comprehensive employment rights law and provides a wide range of protections for employees. Yet even with the …
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Know Your Rights: Sexual harassment claims are not limited to interactions that take place at the office
Sexual harassment or sexual assault can be actionable if it occurs on business travel or at work-related events. In fact, over half of the sexual assault cases we have handled involved assaults that occurred outside of the office and outside of work hours. If the harassment or assault can be shown to be related to …