Tag Archives: discrimination

The Boy Scouts of America voted today to lift its ban on openly gay members. The Scouts’ National Council, comprising of around 1,400 members, cast the hotly contested ballot at a conference in Texas today. Up until the moment the results were released this evening it was unclear whether the organization would retain or drop its discriminatory policy. Ultimately, about 60 percent of members voted to drop it. The result is that “no youth may be denied membership in the …

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed a bill into law last week that provides recourse against discrimination to workers at companies that employ fewer than 15 people. The legislation amends state law so that employees who bring harassment and discrimination suits against their employer can receive punitive and compensatory damages, as well as attorney fees. Previously, workers who brought successful claims through the state could only get their job back, along with back pay. Employees could receive damages by suing under …

Things can change fast at your job, but one thing hasn’t changed much over the years: employers’ use of “loss prevention” strategies to monitor, prevent, and punish internal theft and fraud. If your employer’s loss prevention department or rep comes knocking, there are some time-tested ways for employees to respond.   Not Your Friend “If you are called into a meeting with loss prevention, that’s a meeting where you need to be very aware that you are being accused of …

A California appeals panel has reversed a lower court verdict denying the claims of an HIV-positive woman whose surgery was canceled at the last minute by an anesthesiologist who was worried he might contract the disease. Plaintiff Maureen K. developed a painful hernia and scheduled reparative surgery in 2009, three years after being diagnosed HIV-positive. With the consent of her immunologist, Maureen stopped taking her anti-retroviral (ARV) medications two months before the procedure because they were causing negative side effects. …

A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit states that a plaintiff may bring a harassment claim against an employer for a single offensive slur, if the insult is egregious enough. The case revolves around Magliore Ayissi Etoh, a black man originally from Cameroon, who was hired by Fannie Mae in April 2008 as a financial modeler. The company created a new “team leader” position later in the year, and out of a dozen people promoted, …