Recent news
Latest items of recent news relevant to the United States as reported in our fortnightly newswire ‘Dernières nouvelles’.
USA: Lawsuits over journalist Twitter accounts may become more common
A case has been initiated before a Federal Court in Virginia, in which a newspaper seeks to recover from their former reporter – poached by a rival – a twitter account they claim is company property …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.
USA: A free online way to test the reaction times of employees
Companies concerned about the impact of marijuana use in their workplace and its health and safety implications are often prohibited from conducting medical tests to discover its presence in an employee’s blood system …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.
USA: Senator Lara introduces ‘dignity in the driver’s seat’ bill to end rampant exploitation of port truckers
The Dignity in the Driver’s Seat bill, SB1402 currently before the Californian state legislature will make retailers jointly responsible for the failure of any port trucking company to pay the correct wages to their staff, pay unlawful expenses or hire anyone as a bogus independent contractor under state legislation …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.
USA: Refusing to hire medical marijuana user violates state law, Connecticut court holds
Employers in Connecticut should think twice before refusing to hire anyone who fails a drugs test because they take marijuana under a medical prescription – even though such a practice is still banned under Federal law …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.
USA: Delaware mandates sexual harassment training for employers and supervisors
Delaware’s Discrimination in Employment Act was recently amended so as to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.
USA: Law firm fined over ITAR-related employment policies
The law firm Clifford Chance has been found by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to have violated the US Immigration and Naturalisation Act …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.
USA: GAO presses OPM for better data on employee misconduct
At the request of Congress, the Government Accountability Office has been investigating the way that government departments and agencies handle misconduct …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.
USA: Title VII challenge
Governors from 16 US states have joined forces to back an appeal against a case that applied Title VII of the Human Rights Act to assert anti-discrimination protection in the case of an LGBT worker …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.
USA: Trump wants to drop NAFTA name
The US President has announced that the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is being dropped in favour of a straight deal with Mexico – but on US terms. This leaves the Canadian auto and dairy industries in a tight spot with the likelihood of a widened trade war taking in Canada.
USA: Median weekly earnings summary
The median weekly earnings of full-time workers were $876 during Q2 2018 …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.
USA: California may soon join states placing limits on secret harassment settlements
California has just sent two Bills to the Governor that seek to prevent non-disclosure agreements being established to conceal sexual harassment settlements by companies …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.
USA: Walmart faces a class action for not paying small amounts of time during security checks, overtime, meal periods
Walmart faces a class action before the Federal Court in the Central District of California claiming that the company failed to pay for often small amounts of time during security checks, overtime, meal periods, rest breaks and also failed to accurately itemise these elements on pay statements …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.
USA: San Antonio Council approves paid sick leave ordinance
Although a state Appeals Court has temporarily blocked a sick pay ordinance in Austin, Texas a similar ordinance has gone ahead in San Antonio, Texas …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.
USA: Massachusetts legislature passes non-compete law
Noncompete agreements concluded on or after the 1st October 2018 will be regulated by the recently adopted Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.
USA: Sixth Circuit continues to expand class action waivers, following the Supreme Court’s lead
The Federal Supreme Court has once again ruled on the issue of mandatory arbitration and class actions …
Please login to view this content or become a member by joining now.