Retaliation Claim Viable: Hispanic Deputy Sheriff’s Nationality Questioned Immediately After Filing a Workplace Complaint

By Kate Acheson

The Colorado District Court refused to dismiss Hispanic, Deputy Sheriff Theresa Garcia’s retaliation, discrimination, and common law civil conspiracy claims in Garcia v. Arapahoe Cnty. Sheriff ’s Office, finding that these claims concerned genuine issues of material fact and could not be summarily dismissed. [Read more…]

Arbitrator Overturns Officer’s Termination for Taking a Female Victim to his Home: “Extremely Poor Judgment” Mitigated by Other Factors

By Kate Acheson

In City of Tulsa, 130 LA 1163 (Williams, 2012), the Tulsa Police Department terminated an officer for bringing a domestic violence victim to his home.  The Arbitrator agreed with the Union’s argument, that the termination was too harsh, based on other Department discipline measures and the officer’s good record.

[Read more…]

Recent Blog Articles of Note

By Jim Cline

We are following other Labor and Employment Law Blogs on the Web and will bring to your attention some other articles worth reading. Listed below, are some articles we think are worth a look:

Police “Official Duties” Rule Criticized by the Ninth Circuit, but it Barred a Detective’s First Amendment Retaliation Claim”

This article on 9th Circuit decision Dahlia v. Rodriquez criticizes a narrow Supreme Court interpretation of “official duties” exception to First Amendment protection set forth in Garcetti v. Ceballos

EEOC Provides Guidance on the Application of Employment Discrimination Laws to Instances of Domestic Violence, Stalking 

This article discusses recently released EEOC Guidelines  that suggests that Title VII Discrimination rules barring discrimination, can be extended to harassment or discrimination against victims of domestic violence, or stalking.

New Jersey May Become Fourth State to Limit Access to Employee Social Media Accounts

This short article discusses proposed New Jersey Senate bill and identifies that Maryland, Illinois and California have already adopted laws limiting employer’s ability to access social media accounts.

Portland’s Calculated Attempt to Avoid Implementation of Arbitration Award Thwarted by Employment Relations Board

By Kate Acheson

The Employment Relations Board of the State of Oregon (“ERB”) found in UP-023-12 that the City of Portland violated state law by refusing to implement Arbitrator Wilkenson’s award reinstating Officer Ronald Frashour.  The ERB ordered the City to comply with the arbitrator’s award and to post notices of its violation due to its “calculated” avoidance. [Read more…]

You Don’t Get what You Don’t Ask For: Arbitrator Unable to Award Unrequested Relief in CBA Violation

By Kate Acheson

In Central State University, 130 LA 1351 (Bell, 2012), Arbitrator Langdon Bell was precluded from awarding monetary damages against Central State University for a violation of their collective-bargaining agreement (“CBA”) with their security officers because the union did file a written request for a specific remedy.  Thus, although a violation with associated monetary damages was properly alleged, the Arbitrator could only direct the University to adhere to the CBA staffing guidelines in the future. [Read more…]

Concerned Employer may have Violated the ADA by Ordering Employee to Seek Counseling, Sixth Circuit Finds

By Kate Acheson

In Kroll v. White Lake Ambulance Authority, the Sixth Circuit found that an employer’s order for an Emergency Medical Technician (“EMT”) to attend counseling for suspected depression may have been an impermissible “medical examination” in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).  The case was remanded to determine whether an ADA exception allowing “job related” medical examinations that are consistent with a “business necessity” applies. [Read more…]

Eighth Circuit Rejects Officer’s First Amendment Claims Arising from Completed Police Report

By Kate Acheson

A Missouri Police Officer who was passed over for a promotion and other positive job benefits, claimed the City was retaliating against him for reporting City official corruption in an internal investigation report.  In Buehrle v. City of O’Fallon, Mo., the Eighth Circuit concluded that the First Amendment did not protect the Officer’s speech, which was made in the course of his official duties, and upheld a summary judgment dismissing his claims.

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NY District Court Refuses to Flush Excessive Urine Test Complaint

By Kate Acheson

After being subjected to repeated urine-sample drug tests, a New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“MTA”) Officer, Ada Perez, filed complaint.  The MTA moved to dismiss.  In Perez v. Metro. Transp. Auth., the District Court for the Southern District of New York refused to dismiss Officer Perez’s complaint, reasoning that sufficient information existed for a jury to find in Officer Perez’s favor on her unreasonable search and seizure claim.

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Turning the Tables on Discrimination: Reverse Discrimination Making Headlines in the Wake of Ricci v. DeStefano Decision

By Cynthia McNabb

As suspected when the United States Supreme Court ruled in 2009, in the case of Ricci v. DeStefano, reverse discrimination cases among police and firefighters are in the headlines, with several verdicts reached favoring the plaintiffs who have brought reverse discrimination cases against their employers.

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Testing the Limits of the ADA on Prescription Drug Use: EEOC Reaches Significant Settlement on Workplace Testing for Prescription Drugs

By Cynthia McNabb

Are you required to drug test in order to keep your job?  In addition to drug testing, are you required to disclose what prescription medication you are taking and for what purpose?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, a recent EEOC settlement reached, may be of interest to you.

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