On February 16, 2023, Quinlivan & Hughes, P.A. employment law attorneys Chad Staul and Elle Lannon presented a four-hour seminar entitled “Employment Law – Keeping You and Your Employer Out of Trouble,” as part of the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce’s...
Employment
What is Pregnancy Discrimination?
Most people know that it is illegal for employers to discriminate based on race, gender, religion, age, and pregnancy, among other factors. However, many people do not know exactly how discrimination presents itself in an employment setting, particularly when it comes...
What Kinds of Religious Accommodations Must I Offer My Employees?
Federal anti-discrimination laws require employers to offer certain accommodations to employees– such as employees with disabilities. This accommodation requirement also extends to an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs. It may not be clear, however, exactly...
Creating a Reporting Policy Your Employees Will Use
In an ideal world, no one would have to deal with harassment or discrimination in the workplace. However, there will likely come a time when many employers will need to address employee concerns with either harassment, discrimination, or both, in the workplace....
What do you know about offering severance pay?
There may come a time when you must lay off some of your employees. If that happens, do you know what to consider for their severance packages? Points to ponder There is no law in Minnesota requiring that employers pay terminating or resigning employees a severance....
EEOC Resumes Issuing Right-to-Sue Notices That Were Suspended Due to COVID-19
On August 3, 2020, federal agencies that process charges of discrimination resumed issuing right-to-sue notices that were held in abeyance due to COVID-19. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which investigates claims of workplace discrimination, and...
Sexual Orientation and Transgender Status Receive Unequivocal Protection under Title VII
On June 15, 2020, the United States Supreme Court handed down what is aptly described as a landmark equal rights decision. The Court announced that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does indeed prohibit discrimination on the basis of an employee’s sexual...
Minnesota Supreme Court decision signals change in way courts view harassment claims
In early June 2020, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued an opinion affirming the “the severe-or-pervasive standard” for analyzing a claim of sexual harassment under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, but also ruled in that case that the employee presented sufficient...
Minnesota Supreme Court Limits Right Of Public Employers To Restructure Operations When Doing So Threatens Elimination Of Union
In the recent case of Firefighters Union Local 4725 v. City of Brainerd, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that despite a provision in the Public Employment Labor Relations Act (PELRA) that allows public employers to restructure their operations without an obligation...
Minnesota Enacts Wage Theft Law and Increases Employers’ Wage and Hour Obligations
Minnesota's just passed perhaps the greatest change to Minnesota wage and hour law in recent years. The law greatly expands employee protections, creates additional administrative requirements for employers, and imposes criminal penalties for employers that engage in...