I love Twitter. Why, you ask? Because it routines scoops the major news outlets for breaking stories.
Tuesday was a perfect example. I felt my building shake at 1:51 pm. My first reaction was that The Avengers set a few blocks down the street had blown up something big, but the sway was too pronounced and too long to have resulted from a man-made Hollywood explosion. I immediately turned to Twitter, and confirmed what I had thought—it was an earthquake. With the click of mouse and the scroll of bar, I learned in an instant that my colleagues and friends all up and down the east coast had, to varying degrees, felt what I had felt. CNN had the story 10 minutes later, and Cleveland.com a few minutes after that. Who needs the news when you have Twitter?
And now for something completely different…
I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind everyone that nominations are still open for the ABA Blawg 100 (until Sept. 9), and the LexisNexis Top 25 Labor & Employment Law Blogs (until Sept. 12). Thanks to everyone who’s voted for me so far, or will vote over the next couple of weeks.
Here’s the rest of what I read this week.
Discrimination
- Creating an Evacuation Plan in Light of the Earthquake? Don’t Forget the ADA – from SmartHR
- Economic Damages in Wrongful Termination Litigation – from Stephanie Thomas’s The Proactive Employer Blog
- The Dangers of Looking the Other Way: Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Sexual Harassment – from Jason Shinn’s Michigan Employment Law Advisor
- “Drinking is a ‘handicap,’ fired former Florida State administrator says” – from Walter Olson’s Overlawyered
- How to Get Sued Big Now – from Manpower Employment Blawg
- The Old “Too Ugly” Defense… – from Tim Eavenson’s Current Employment
- I Was Treated Differently From My Coworkers. Can I Sue For Discrimination? – from Donna Ballman’s Screw You Guys, I’m Going Home
- Pregnancy Discrimination Still a Major Issue – from i-Sight Investigation Software Blog
- Is it lawful to not hire a pregnant woman because she’ll need time off for maternity leave? – from Heather Travar
Social Media & Workplace Technology
- Breaking News: Steve Jobs Resigns From Apple – from Social Axcess
- A short history of social media (infographic) – from Kevin O’Keefe’s Real Lawyers Have Blogs
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary Now Includes ‘Tweet’, ‘Social Media’, ‘Crowdsourcing’ And More – from Techcrunch
- How Much Of Our Personal Lives Should Be Under Employer Surveillance? – from Kashmir Hill’s The Not-So Private Parts
- Two Weeks Without My Smartphone – from In-house ACCess
- Portability of Social Media Accounts: Here's Your Poster Child Example… – from The HR Capitalist, Kris Dunn
Employee Relations & HR
- Want to be on the Real World? Think twice. – from Rob Radcliff’s Smooth Transitions
- I’m Not In Love, So Why Do My Knees Feel Weak? Workplace Crisis Management – from Delaware Employment Law Blog
- Hurricane Preparedness in Connecticut: Come On Irene?– from Dan Schwartz’s Connecticut Employment Law Blog
- Use of Background Checks Requires Common Sense – from Michael Haberman’s Omega HR Solutions
- Considering the Unlimited Vacation Route: Risks & Benefits – from Ann Bares at Compensation Force
- Can my employer stop me from using the bathroom? – from Ask a Manager
Labor Relations
- Chef Mickey’s Server Alleges Unfair Firing over $63 – from DIS Unplugged Blog
- Tweet freely! Employers get some guidance about social media – from Robin Shea’s Employment & Labor Insider
- Even in the Internet Age, You Can’t Call Your Boss a ‘Super Mega Puta’ – from Above the Law
- The federal labor law guide to social media (non)compliance – from Eric Meyer’s The Employer Handbook Blog
- NLRB Social Media Memo Part I - NLRA-Protected Acts and Part II - Unprotected Conduct – from Philip Miles’s Lawffice Space
- Social Media Clarity or More Murky Water From the NLRB? – from Minnesota Labor & Employment Law Blog
- Bosses React To Workers’ Anti-Social Networking – from Wall Street Pit
Wage & Hour
- Which Employment Law Would You Vaporize? – from Russell Cawyer’s Texas Employment Law Update
- Can An Employer Pay An Exempt Employee Extra Compensation? – from Wage & Hour Insights
- 4-Part Test Announced for Distinguishing Unpaid Sabbatical and Paid Vacation Leave – from Joe’s HR and Benefits Blog
- 4th Circuit Restricts Scope of FLSA Retaliation Protection – from Workplace Prof Blog
- Second Circuit Analyzes Scope of Material Adverse Employment Actions in a Family Medical Leave Act Retaliation Claim – from Employment Matters Blog
- Employee Who Abused FMLA Leave Around the Holidays Properly Terminated – from FMLA Insights
Until next week:
(Network has aged extremely well. 1976 could easily be 2011. It was eerily prescient.)
Written by Jon Hyman, a partner in the Labor & Employment group of Kohrman Jackson & Krantz. For more information, contact Jon at (216) 736-7226 or jth@kjk.com.