Houston-area employees should be aware of new enforcement guidelines from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regarding national origin discrimination. On Nov. 18, 2016, the EEOC issued a new set of guidelines. These guidelines were created for small businesses and developed to combat workplace conduct that violates Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A question and answer page and a related fact sheet were also released.
Court rules company must offer accommodation to Sikh drivers
Sikh workers in Houston might be protected by a case elsewhere that ruled that a trucking company did not offer reasonable accommodation to its Sikh drivers when it required them to offer a piece of their cut hair for drug testing. One other man, who would not remove his turban for a urine test, was also part of the suit. Sikhs' religion prohibits men from cutting their hair, and removing a turban is considered an act that is only done in private.
New overtime rules: Will they still take effect on December 1?
For months, employers have been planning for how to respond to new federal rules on eligibility for overtime pay that are due to take effect on December 1.
Whistle blowing and retaliation in the workplace
No employee should ever feel intimidated or fear retaliation because he or she reported a wage-related complaint to an employer or the Department of Labor. In fact, federal law protects employees from such action by their employers. Nonetheless, in 2015, the owners of a Texas restaurant fired their cook who had worked for the restaurant 13 years because they assumed he issued a wage-related complaint to a federal agency, although he never did.
Wells Fargo sued for ERISA violations
Wells Fargo employees in the Houston area may have lost money in their retirement plans after stock prices in the bank declined. Employees who allege that Wells Fargo violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act have filed several complaints against the bank. The plaintiffs are seeking class action status for their ERISA claims.
