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What I've Been Reading This Week


Ironically, this summer has turned into a busy time at work with a lot of travel and trips out of town.  Having been in Phoenix a few weeks ago, John Hall's note on OSHA tips for dealing with heat exposure jumped out at me.  Whether you have employees in Phoenix, Minneapolis, Manchester, or anywhere in between, I think John's article is well worth a quick review to stay informed on the matter.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.


EEOC Reaches Settlement on its First Sexual Orientation Bias Lawsuit

Over at The Employer Handbook, Eric Meyer wrote an update on the EEOC announcing a settlement on its first sexual orientation bias lawsuit.  Back in March, the EEOC filed its first lawsuits in which an employer had allegedly violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating based upon sexual orientation.  Recently, the EEOC announced it had settled one of those lawsuits for $200,000.00.  Eric does a good job breaking down the specifics of this case...and the wide reaching impact this settlement has.


With An Increase in Temperatures, OSHA Tips For Heat Exposure

John Hall over at HR Hero has a good note on OSHA's willingness to cite employers for employees' heat exposure under Section 5(A)(1) of the OSH Act.  John even goes so far as to include a couple examples of when employers have been cited for heat exposure issues.  However, perhaps the most informative part of the article are links to a few OSHA guidance measures that employers can follow to help protect their employees and limit heat exposure problems.


An Employee's Right to Have Representation in a Disciplinary Meeting

Michael Haberman wrote a recent article on the Weingarten Rule, a/k/a an employee's right to have a union representative present for a disciplinary or investigative hearing.  The article includes references to how the NLRB has dealt with the issue under both the Clinton and Obama administrations and what the current Board could be expected to do on the matter.  Well worth a read.



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