11/09/2009 - Can We Have That in Writing? Clear Reservation-of-Rights Saves Company from ERISA Class Action Over Change in Retiree Benefits
Can an employer modify or terminate the medical benefits of retired employees? The answer depends on the language in the employer’s medical benefit plan. A recent federal court ruling highlights the importance of medical benefit plans unambiguously reserving the right to modify or terminate plan benefits. Without this language, an employer makes itself vulnerable to “he said/she said” disputes in which retirees claim that their former managers promised the retirees that their medical benefits would remain unchanged through retirement.

10/09/2009 - Recent Case Dismissal Challenges "Geographic Presumption"
A recent decision from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission provides employers who must log workplace injuries and report workplace fatalities some latitude as to when an injury or fatality is “work-related.” 

07/31/2009 - Employers Beware: Unions Win Battle in War Over E-Mail Use
With the advent of information technology, union supporters have frequently used employer e-mail systems to solicit support during union organizing campaigns. Recognizing the difficulty in monitoring these activities, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), in Register-Guard, concluded that employees have no statutory right to use an employer’s e-mail system for union-related activities.

06/19/2009 - U.S. Supreme Court Increases Employee Burden of Proof in Age Bias Cases
In Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc., decided on June 18, 2009, a deeply divided U.S. Supreme Court imposed a heightened proof burden on employees to establish age discrimination against their employers. In a 5-4 decision, the Court concluded that the literal text of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (“ADEA”) does not allow a worker to prove discrimination by demonstrating that age was one “motivating factor” for the employer's adverse employment action.

05/06/2009 - Restructuring Compensation During Economic Challenges
Employers are facing a number of economic and financial challenges. Some employers have considered restructuring their compensation arrangements with employees as an alternative to avoid a reduction in force or layoffs. Restructuring of compensation packages raises a number of issues. 

05/01/2009 - What’s an Employer to Do? Understanding the Employment Law Implications of Swine Flu
Employers face an array of potential legal issues associated with the influenza A (H1N1) infection, also known as “swine flu.” As of May 1, 2009, 331 cases of swine flu in eleven countries have been reported and 109 of these cases are in the United States. Moreover, the World Health Organization has rated the swine flu as a phase 5 on the influenza pandemic alert level – revealing “a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.” Health organizations and the government are not the only entities that need to prepare plans. Employers also need to determine how they will deal with the problems associated with a potential influenza outbreak.

04/22/2009 - Texas Supreme Court Provides Greater Protection to Employers Seeking to Enforce Non-Compete Covenants
Building on its 2006 decision in Alex Sheshunoff Management Services, L.P. v. Johnson, 209 S.W.3d 644 (Tex. 2006), the Texas Supreme Court has further expanded the enforceability of non-compete covenants in the at-will employment setting. In Mann Frankfort Stein & Lipp Advisors, Inc. v. Fielding, No. 07-0490 (Tex. April 17, 2009), a decision with significant practical implications for Texas employers, the court held that an employer’s implied promise to provide confidential information to an at-will employee may give rise to an enforceable covenant not to compete.

04/09/2009 - Weathering the Storm: Terminations, Uncertainty, and Strategies to Reduce Workplace Liability
In the current economic state, many employers are seeking to reduce operating costs. More employees are being let go as corporate layoffs have accelerated and workers are looking to complain that they have been unfairly or improperly dismissed. The Obama administration has publicly announced that it will be more aggressive in enforcing employment laws.

04/03/2009 - Supreme Court Holds That Employees Under Collective Bargaining Agreement Are Blocked From Going to Court On Age Discrimination Claims, Must Arbitrate Instead
In 14 Penn Plaza LLC v. Pyett, a decision with significant practical ramifications for unionized employers, the United States Supreme Court, on April 1, 2009, held that employees covered under a collective bargaining agreement were required to arbitrate claims of age discrimination under the arbitration clause of that agreement instead of allowing them to sue in Court.

03/04/2009 - President Obama Signs Fourth Executive Order Concerning Unions
On February 6, 2009, President Barack Obama signed his fourth executive order concerning federal contractors and labor matters. This order (the “Order”) encourages federal agencies contracting with private businesses for large-scale construction projects to mandate project labor agreements (“PLA”) for the entirety of the project. 

02/16/2009 - U.S. Supreme Court Protects Workers from Retaliation in Workplace Discrimination Investigations
On January 26, 2009, the United States Supreme Court, in Crawford v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, concluded that Title VII’s anti-retaliation provision protects an employee-witness who “speaks out” about alleged discrimination “not on the employee’s own initiative,” but in answering questions during the employer’s internal investigation.

02/05/2009 - President Obama Signs Three Executive Orders Concerning Unions
On Friday, January 30, 2009, in a move targeting Bush-era policies that some viewed as unfriendly to organized labor, President Barack Obama signed three executive orders: Notification of Employee Rights Under Federal Labor Laws; Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts; and Economy in Government Contracting. Regarding these orders, President Obama commented, “We need to level the playing field for workers and the unions that represent their interests. . .”

01/30/2009 - President Obama Signs Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
On Thursday, January 29, 2009, in a widely anticipated move, President Barack Obama signed his first bill into law, approving the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. This legislation focuses on salary bias in the workplace. Discussed in greater detail below, the Ledbetter bill essentially negates a 2007 United States Supreme Court decision that limited a woman’s ability to sue for pay discrimination long after the first discriminatory paycheck occurred.

01/20/2009 - House Passes Two “Fair Pay” Bills
On January 9, 2009, the United States House of Representatives passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. The bills now go to the Senate for consideration, and President Obama is expected to sign both into law should they reach his desk.

11/21/2008 - The ADA’s Rebirth: Complying with the ADA Amendments of 2008
Based on several new amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the statute has been reborn – it offers vastly expanded coverage to a wide variety of employee physical and mental impairments and will require employers to focus on creating and offering reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. On January 1, 2009, the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) will become effective and, in large part, it removes an employer’s common defense that the individual’s particular impairment does not constitute a “disability” under the ADA.

01/11/2008 - Employer Email No-Solicitation Policies
It is well-established that employees have the right, under the mutual aid and protection clause in Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”), to solicit coworkers on non-working time and to distribute literature to coworkers in non-work areas.

05/05/2006 - Possible NLRA Implications - Part II

04/26/2006 - Possible NLRA Implications - Part I

Haynes and Boone Employment Law Desk Reference

"Second-Hand" Harassment: Can an Employer Get Burned?

04/08/2005 - United States Supreme Court Approves "Disparate Impact" Age Discrimination Claims

03/01/2005 - Tips for Managers and Owners To Control and Regulate Access to Property

04/27/2004 - Employees May Begin Paying the Price for Challenging Their Non-Competes

Court's 'mixed motive' decision affects job discrimination cases

03/24/2003 - Update on Employment Related Legislation in 78th Texas Legislature

01/29/2003 - They Are Back! What The 78th Legislature Has In Store For Texas Employers

08/22/2002 - 7 - Employment Obligations - How The Corporate Accountability Law Will Impact Employment Practices

07/26/2002 - Employment Obligations -- How the New Corporate Accountability Law Will Impact Employment Practices

05/30/2002 - Texas Supreme Court Upholds Mandatory Arbitration

05/01/2002 - Reasonable Accommodation Under ADA Does Not Require an Exception to an Employer's Seniority System

May 1, 2002: OSHA Begins Penalizing Employers For Improper Recordkeeping

ALERT: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Waffle House

01/03/2002 - The Top Five Employment Law Issues Employers Face in the Post 9-11 Era

U.S. Supreme Court takes action on mandatory arbitration issues

Employment Law Commentary for the Houston Business Journal's "Business Survival Guide"

04/01/2001 - U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Mandatory Arbitration In Employment Cases

OSHA Ergonomics Rule Repealed