United States: Employers Beware: Legal Recreational Use Of Marijuana May Be Expanding

Next week, residents of Oregon, Alaska, and Washington, D.C. will vote on initiatives to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana, reflecting a nationwide trend toward legalization. Given these and similar initiatives in other states, employers will face new challenges in managing their workforce. Policies implicated by these new laws are as varied as disability accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, drug testing, pre-employment background checks and zero tolerance programs.

To read the full article, […]

By | November 3rd, 2014 ||

United States: Watch Where You Place That Pickle! NLRB Rules Against Burger King Franchisee For "Union Busting" Activities

Last month the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that a multi-unit Burger King franchisee violated the National Labor Relations Act (Act) by threatening pro-union employees with termination; maintaining a policy that denied access to off-duty employees to all areas of its premises and prohibited solicitation; and disciplining a pro-union employee for engaging in activity protected by the Act.

In 2013, multi-unit owner EYM King purchased a Burger King location in the Ferndale section of […]

By | November 3rd, 2014 ||

Amendments To The Canada Labour Code Respecting Occupational Health And Safety

On December 12, 2013 Bill C-4 “Economic Action Plan 2013 Act No. 2” received royal assent from the Parliament of Canada. The very lengthy Bill, also known as the federal government’s omnibus budget legislation, focuses on economics but also revises key federal labour laws.

Amendments to the Canada Labour Code will come into effect on October 31, 2014 and are reviewed below.
Defining “Danger”
The definition of “danger” within s.122(1) is being repealed and replaced with the […]

By | November 3rd, 2014 ||