Recreational marijuana will be legal in Michigan next month. However, legal marijuana use presents some employment law dilemmas and can impact worker rights. Employers may continue to ban marijuana use at work and enforce drug free workplace policies. However, most...
Employee And Union Rights
Employee And Union Rights
Employment Law
Over two-thirds of women have been sexually harassed
According to a study that was recently conducted, over two-thirds of women have reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment directed against them. The study found that 77 percent of the women who responded reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment....
McDonald’s workers striking over harassment
Workers at McDonalds planned a nationwide 10-city strike on September 18. Through the walkout, they are trying to push management to take stronger measures to combat sexual harassment. The lead organizers are women who took employment law action by filing complaints...
Marvin Winans sued for wage violations
Federal and state wage and hour laws help assure that workers receive their legally-entitled wages and that improper deductions are not made. In a recently-filed federal lawsuit, a housekeeper sued Grammy-winning Rev. Marvin Williams and his Perfecting Church for...
Nurse charges patient request is discrimination
A hospital seems to be an unlikely place for workplace discrimination. But, an African-American nurse charged that a Dearborn hospital violated federal and Michigan employment law when it prevented her from treating a patient who objected to her race. The nurse was a...
Limiting worker speech
An employee's right to speak does not end when they get a job or report to work. Employment law has some protections that covers certain speech, but workers also need to know its restrictions. The First Amendment protects speech from government intrusion and applies...
Michigan Supreme Court lets whistleblower case go forward
This month, the Michigan Supreme Court declined to examine a Michigan Court of Appeals opinion that permitted a case under the state's whistleblower laws to proceed. The case appears to have expanded what it means to "report" under the Michigan Whistleblower...
Michigan is 21st in nation when it comes to workplace safety
Michigan and the Detroit area have long been hubs of manufacturing in the United States. Unfortunately, a worker-friendly citizenry does not always translate to worker-friendly employment. When it comes to workplace safety, for instance, Michigan is slightly above the...
Supreme Court decision hits close to home in the Motor City
In Detroit, the hub of the auto industry in the United States -- if not the world -- automobile-related jobs are a huge economic factor. People who work in the industry rely on their wages and overtime to provide for themselves, their families and to make ends meet....
Sexual harassment bad for business, bottom line
In the last year, workplace sexual harassment has garnered much attention from the public and the press. Hollywood scandals and the #metoo movement fueled press coverage and at the same time emboldened victims of harassment to come forward. Companies on the wrong side...