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What I’ve Been Reading This Week


Every so often I come across a jury verdict that catches my attention.  This week, a case out of a federal court in Texas piqued my interest in so much as a jury was asked to decide whether an employee was discriminated against because that employee chose to attend church rather than work...and was subsequently terminated by the employer.  Quite the intriguing read.

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


Effort to Slow Minimum Wage Hike in New Jersey Falters

On Wednesday, a scheduled vote in New Jersey’s Senate Labor Committee was shelved on a bill that would have allowed for a slowdown to the state’s minimum wage hike.  The proposed legislation sought to allow for temporary suspension of scheduled minimum wage hikes in the state, depending upon whether economic conditions worsened or unemployment rates rose.  Readers might recall that a minimum wage bill had been signed into law which would gradually raise minimum wage rates from $10/hour up to $15/hour by 2024 for most workers in the state.  The proposed bill that was shelved yesterday had come under heavy fire from Democrats in the state as well as 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.  As of now, the state’s minimum wage hike is set to go into effect as previously signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy.


Grading the Paid Leave Policies of the 2020 Presidential Candidates

Recently, PL+US released a scorecard for how the 2020 Presidential candidates stack up in regard to their paid leave proposals.  (PL+US is an advocacy group that focuses on advancing paid leave in the country.)  While readers can review the report for the criteria and grading system utilized, there are several scores to note:  A 65 for President Donald Trump, a 70 for former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren, and a 100 for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.  I will caution readers that this is only one report and it’s findings are not an exact science, but this scorecard does provide a good overview of the paid leave proposals of the candidates.


Is Termination of Employee That Skips Work For Church Religious Discrimination?

According to a jury in Texas, the answer to the above question is a resounding yes.  In Davis v. Fort Bend County, an employee notified her employer that because of her church obligations on a Sunday, she could not be present at work for a special work project.  Despite offering to find a replacement to fill her spot, the employee was terminated after failing to appear for work and instead going to church.  A jury held that the employee was discriminated against because of her religion and her employer was able to reasonably accommodate the employee’s religious beliefs yet failed to do so.  I invite readers to read the jury verdict for further insight into the jury’s findings.

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