Life happens sometimes, and you may need to take time off from work. If these reasons are to care for a family member, your own health reasons, or the birth or adoption of a child, know that your employer cannot retaliate against you. If the company does retaliate,...
Legal Protection For Workers
Understanding FMLA protections for California workers
Under the Family Medical Leave Act, workers may be allowed to take leave without employer retaliation. However, this leave must be qualified and the FMLA does not apply to all employers. The act applies only to companies who have at least 50 employees, and only to...
Shaw’s grocery store sued for wrongful termination
California residents who follow national news relating to employment law are taking notice of a lawsuit that was filed recently in Concord, New Hampshire. A former employee of the grocery store chain Shaw's filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court claiming that she was...
FMLA protections post-DOMA
Californians know that on June 26, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA held that same-sex marriages performed in states that recognize these unions were not to be recognized by the federal government. Now that DOMA has...
California is exception to national status of paid family leave
Most California employees are familiar with their rights to family and medical leave under federal and state law. Under the federal Family Medical Leave Act, employees may take up to 12 weeks of time off from work in a year to care for a newborn or newly adopted...
California scores top grade in family-friendly employment laws
The non-profit advocacy organization, National Partnership for Women & Families issued a new report titled "Expecting Better," which graded every state, including D.C., on how well the state and its programs and laws support new parents. California was one of only...
Could donating your kidney to your boss get you fired?
Apparently so, at least for one employee who generously donated a kidney so her boss could move up the donor list to only later be fired for missing work due to taking time off to recover from the surgery. Although this particular story comes from the other side of...
Teacher claims wrongful termination for getting pregnant – Part 1
California residents may be interested in yet another case of employment discrimination involving a mother who was fired from a private Christian middle school for getting pregnant out of wedlock. The 29-year-old teacher was planning to get married to her...
Staffing company ordered to pay in pregnancy discrimination suit
A federal judge ordered a medical staffing company to pay $148,000 to a former employee for discriminating against the woman because she was pregnant. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the lawsuit claimed the company's owner discriminated...
Military family members to receive expanded rights under FMLA
The Obama administration recently announced a proposed expansion of eligibility under the Family and Medical Leave Act for military families. The proposed expansion is meant to recognize the support that family members and caregivers provide to military service...