United States: Department Of The Army Found To Have Discriminated Against Transgender Employee

We recently reported on President Obama’s amendment to Executive Order 11246 banning discrimination based on LGBT status. Now the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) has found that the Department of the Army discriminated against a transgender civilian employee in violation of a separate federal law, and strongly suggested that such discrimination is a form of sex discrimination under Title VII.

The civilian employee had transitioned from a man to a woman beginning in 2010, changing […]

By | November 5th, 2014 ||

Canada: OH&S Month Part 3: Annual Review Of Your Bullying And Harassment Policies

The deadline for compliance with WorkSafeBC’s bullying and harassment policies was last November 1, 2013.  We’d like to remind all BC employers that certain obligations under the policies require an annual review.

As we discussed in an earlier post, the policies set out nine requirements for employers to meet:

Develop a policy statement about workplace bullying and harassment not being acceptable or tolerated.
Take steps to prevent or minimize workplace bullying and harassment.
Develop and implement procedures for reporting […]

By | November 5th, 2014 ||

United States: Los Angeles Hotel Minimum Wage Is Much More than Just A "Living Wage"

On October 10, 2014, the Los Angeles City Council passed the “Citywide Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance” (“Ordinance”). Much of the press attention has been devoted to the increase in minimum wage, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. This alert summarizes some key elements of the Ordinance, as well as the steps that Los Angeles area hotels should consider to comply.
Who Must Comply?
The Ordinance applies to hotels with 150+ guest rooms […]

By | November 5th, 2014 ||