» civil rights
Despite repeated examples of deadly police misconduct, the Supreme Court strengthens defense for police in misconduct cases
November 15th, 2021
The United States Supreme Court adopted the defense of qualified immunity many years ago to prevent public employees from being sued successfully for what they do (or do not do) in the line of duty. This defense turns on the idea that public servants…
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Categories: Blog
DOL moves employment law in right direction
August 2nd, 2021
On July 30, 2021, the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) rescinded a rule adopted under the prior Federal administration that limited when more than one company is responsible for wage theft, employee misclassification, or other violations…
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EEOC steps up to address the pandemic’s impact
June 9th, 2021
The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) recently issued public guidance regarding the use of incentives to encourage employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This technical assistance from the EEOC outlines how empl…
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As the pandemic continues, so do the work-related disparities
April 26th, 2021
A recent Gallup survey examined how the ongoing pandemic has affected work opportunities in the past year. Like other aspects of life, the pandemic has increased and aggravated existing inequalities when it comes to employment-related matters. For ex…
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Categories: Blog
Build back better with passage of the PRO Act
March 19th, 2021
Although a Gallup poll in 2020 confirmed that 65% of people in the country favor union representation, only 10% of people actually have union representation. This gap between the preference of, and reality for, employees underscores the lack of workp…
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Categories: Blog
DOL’s political leadership continues to impede enforcement and undermine agency credibility
November 1st, 2020
The head of the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”), who is the son of former United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, has pushed the agency in a decidedly different direction since being appointed Secretary of Labor. Under Secre…
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Categories: Blog
Minnesota Supreme Court expands civil rights protections in 2 additional rulings
August 1st, 2020
In Fletcher Properties, Inc. v. City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that an anti-discrimination ordinance adopted by Minneapolis does not violate either the equal protection or due process provisions of the Minnesota Constitution.…
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Categories: Blog
United States and Minnesota Supreme Courts issue landmark decisions favoring employees and promoting the public interest
July 1st, 2020
In Bostock v. Clayton County, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the main Federal civil rights statute governing the workplace, Title VII, makes it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The United States Supr…
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Categories: Blog
Trump administration continues to eliminate work protections – but advocates for workplace fairness fight back
March 16th, 2020
The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) once again and recently changed its standard to favor employers over employees. Specifically, the NLRB adopted a new rule to make it more difficult to prove that affiliated companies share culpability f…
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Categories: Blog
2019 was a good year for large corporations, but not so much for employees
December 26th, 2019
The year began with the impact of the Trump Administration’s tax “reform” becoming clear. This legislation has amounted to one of the largest redistributions of wealth in the country’s history, giving a windfall to large corporations and extr…
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Categories: Blog
