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Not Perfect Harmony: Blasting Music with Derogatory Terms May Create a Hostile Workplace
Employers who allow music in the workplace should pay attention to lyrics and content. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that music with sexually derogatory and violent content played in the workplace can create a hostile environment i...
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Oregon Employers Take Note: Legislature Amends OFLA and Oregon Paid Leave for Better Alignment
Governor Kotek signed Oregon Senate Bill 999 into law on June 7, 2023, which amends the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) and Paid Leave Oregon (ORS Chapter 657B) and incorporates changes intended to better align the laws in both language and function....
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U.S. Supreme Court Holds Union Can Be Sued for Strike Designed to Cause Damage to Employer’s Property
In Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. Teamsters, with an 8-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court recently clarified that a union’s conduct during a strike that intentionally (or at least unreasonably and foreseeably) causes financial or property harm to the emp...
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Washington Expands Grounds for “Good Cause” Resignations Allowing Employees to Collect Unemployment Benefits
Generally speaking, employees who resign are not eligible for unemployment benefits. Washington, however, has several exceptions to this general rule in which an employee who had “good cause” to resign is
eligible for unemployment benefits.
On May 4,...
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New Memorandum Targets Union and Non-union Employers’ Noncompetition Agreements
The General Counsel (GC) for the National Labor Relations Board, Jennifer Abruzzo, continues the Board’s crusade against noncompetition agreements in Memorandum GC 23-08 (May 30, 2023). The GC serves as the Board’s lead prosecutor and directs the reg...
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Beginning January 2024, Washington Employers Can Get a Little More Information about an Employee’s PFML
The lack of information about an employee’s Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) can lead to challenges when administering a Washington employee’s leave. Fortunately, a little help is on the way due to a bill recently passed by the legislature.
Beginning...
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