A quick review on the rules for docking pay for exempt employees

"Can I dock part of an employee's paycheck?"

It's one of the questions I get most often from clients.

So, let's take a quick run through the rules of docking employee's pay for exempt employees.

WIRTW #534 (the “rock the vote” edition)

Have you cast your ballot for the Worst Employer of 2018? Time is ticking down for this year's final vote.

To remind you of the four truly awful employers vying for this year's honor, the finalists are:

• The Murdering Manager — company owner hires two men to rough-up a handyman who was not doing his job, and they accidentally kill him.

• The Sexist, Racist, Xenophobic, Oh My! — plant manager calls foreign-born employees "terrorists" and women "bitches," and tells the only black employee that her husband should work in a cotton field with a rope around his neck.

• The Supervisor Supremacist — supervisor begins morning staff meetings by saying "White Power" and giving the Nazi salute; when African-American employee complains, he finds himself hanged in effigy.

• The Tasering Torturer — company owner disciplines employee by threatening to kill him, lighting fires near him, and repeatedly shocking him with a taser.

Vote here.

Here's what I read this week:

Does Title VII protect an employee's self-help discovery?

Suppose one of your employees believes that she was discriminated against because of her protected class. She files a charge of discrimination with the EEOC, and, in support of the charge, provides the agency information from your confidential personnel files that she had copied. In response, you fire the employee for violating your confidentiality policy? She then files a new charge, alleging that her termination was in retaliation for her protected activity of gathering evidence in support of her discrimination claim.

Does her retaliation claim succeed?

Is your business rethinking its holiday party this year?

During the #MeToo portion yesterday's Best-Ever Year-End Employment Law Review that Five Employment Law Bloggers Have Ever Presented, Robin Shea suggested that the #MeToo Movement has altered employers' holiday-party plans this year.

Indeed, according to the 2018 Holiday Party Survey (conducted by the appropriately named outplace firm of Challenger, Gray & Christmas), 35% of employers do not plan to throw a holiday party this year, the lowest number since 2009. Given the current strength of our economy, one would expect an opposite trend, suggesting that something else is causing this uptick in grinchy employers.

The likely culprit? #MeToo.

Forced hugs at work sound like a REALLY bad idea

Ray Kelvin, CEO of UK fashion retailer Ted Baker, is a hugger. According to an online petition seeking to end his practice, "he greets many people he meets with a hug, be it a shareholder, investor, supplier, partner, customer or colleague." And, it doesn't stop with hugs. He asks young female employees "to sit on his knee, cuddle him, or let him massage their ears." He strokes employees' ears. He takes off his shirt in the workplace and talks about his sex life. Even worse, when employees go to HR to complain, they are told, "That's just what Ray's like."

Well, they've had enough "of what Ray's like." More than 2,600 people, including over 300 current or former employees, have signed the online petition calling on Ted Baker to "scrap the forced 'hugs' and end harassment."

What can "Elf" teach us about the ADA?

Friday night, the Hyman clan carried out our annual holiday tradition of watching "Elf." Since much of the story took place in and around various workplaces, this year I decided to watch with an eye towards shareable employment law lessons.


Early in the story, Buddy learns the harsh reality that he is not actually an elf, but a human. He learns this lesson after falling 985 Etch A Sketches short of his production expectations, and being transferred to Jack-in-the-Box testing (the job reserved for "special" elves).

Assuming that Buddy's height is a disability in the North Pole (and if the ADA protects dwarfs down south, it's safe to assume the North Pole's disability discrimination laws would similarly protect Buddy's heightened height up north), what ADA lessons does this parable teach us?

WIRTW #533 (the “Stella's” edition)

If you ever wanted to know how hard a group of pre-teens and teens can rock, you'll have your chance on December 21, when Fake ID invades Stella's Music Club. They play from 7:30 – 9:30, and word has it they are working up a few Christmas tunes for the season.

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Also, you still have time to register for The Best-Ever Year-End Employment Law Review That 5 Employment Law Bloggers Ever Presented—Tuesday, 12/4, from noon to 1 p.m. 

Join me, along with employment law bloggers extraordinaire Eric Meyer, Jeff Nowak, Dan Schwartz, Robin Shea, and our fearless (fearful?) moderator, Kate Bischoff.  

Register here

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Here's what I read this week.

I can name that lawsuit in one note

Demetria Kalodimos, age 58, worked as an anchor for Nashville's WSMV for 33 years. After the station failed to renew her contract, she sued for age and gender discrimination.

The Worst Employer of 2018: The Finalists

The votes have been cast, and counted. And we have four awful employers that have qualified for the finals of the Worst Employer of 2018.

I started this journey all the way back on January 2, 2018, in a post discussing a company president who tried to solicit sex from his employee by telling her God wanted her to be his sexual plaything.

And he didn't even come close to qualifying for the finals!

After nearly 600 votes, you've cut the 15 nominees down to these 4 finalists (in alphabetical order):

• The Murdering Manager — company owner hires two men to rough-up a handyman who was not doing his job, and they accidentally kill him.

• The Sexist, Racist, Xenophobic, Oh My! — plant manager calls foreign-born employees "terrorists" and women "bitches," and tells the only black employee that her husband should work in a cotton field with a rope around his neck.

• The Supervisor Supremacist — supervisor begins morning staff meetings by saying "White Power" and giving the Nazi salute; when African-American employee complains, he finds himself hanged in effigy.

• The Tasering Torturer — company owner disciplines employee by threatening to kill him, lighting fires near him, and repeatedly shocking him with a taser.

Now for the fun part. Instead of asking that you pick just one of these gems, I'm asking you to rank them, from 1 (the worst employer) to 4 (the least worse employer). This will then give me a weighted score to name, finally, the WORST EMPLOYER OF 2018.

The polls will remain open until Tuesday, December 18, at 11 pm.

You can vote below, or at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SG9Z8CX.

UPDATE: Does an employer have a duty to protect the personal information of its employees?

In July, I asked whether an employer owes its employees a legal duty to protect their personal information. I discussed cases that answered that question in both the affirmative and the negative. I also suggested that regardless of whether employers have a legal duty to protect the personal information and data of your employees, they still have a significant financial and reputational incentive to take reasonable steps to maintain the privacy and security of all of their information.

The dominoes, however, are starting to fall on the existence of a legal duty.

On the 12th day of Christmas, my employer gave to me … a handgun?

'Tis the season for giving. What's the oddest holiday gift an employer has ever given you? For the employees of one Wisconsin company, the answer might just be a handgun.

WIRTW #532 (the “❤️ the holidays” edition)

On December 25, I will turn 18 in Christmas years. My wife and I starting dating in October 2001, and we celebrated our first Christmas together two months later. I LOVE Christmas. I joke with my wife that I married her for Christmas. I love the lights, the tree, the family togetherness, the snow, and the overall peaceful spirit of the holiday.

And the music. I love Christmas music. Which is why this year, I'm thrilled that I get to combine my favorite holiday with my favorite band.

Today, Old 97's released "Love the Holidays," a collection of twangy Christmas tunes to fill your ears and your soul with yuletide joy.

Take a listen to the exquisitely beautiful "Snow Angels," a song that seeks togetherness in these troubled times, and calls for us to find that which binds us instead of that which us divides us.

Look to your left, look to your right
Everyone of us is a beam of light.
Together, we’re strong. There’s no need to fight.
Everyone of us is a beam of light.

I also dare you not to imagine snow falling outside you window as you listen to the imagery this tune invokes.




The blog is off next week, as I'll be home getting ready for, and then celebrating, my other favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. But, come back the week after when I'll announce the finalists for the Worst Employer of 2018 (have you voted yet?), and take us through the year's home stretch.

Here's what I read this week:

Do you know? Pre-employment medical examinations

A local mayor has gotten himself in some hot water for his selective use of pre-employment medical examinations for hirees. How selective? According to WKYC, one woman claims that the mayor required her and other women, but not men, to be examined by his personal doctor. For his part, the mayor denies the allegations as an act of a "fertile imagination," and claims that he sends all city workers, male and female, to the same doctor for pre-employment exams.

Why would her allegations rise to the level of unlawful activity?

What can you learn from the law firm partner suspended for watching porn at work?

According to The American Lawyer (sub. req.), Hogan Lovells has suspended one of its partners in its London office for watching porn at work. How did it catch the offense?

In IT employee read his internet logs? No.

He forgot to close his browser when he went to the loo and his assistant walked into his office? No.

He visited an unsafe site that spammed his entire office with malware? No.

Do you know? English-only workplace policies

White Americans, what?
Nothing better to do?
Why don't you kick yourself out?
You're an immigrant too!

– White Stripes, Icky Thump (2007).

Estefany Martinez-Gonzalez and Imelda Lucio Lopez, both crew members at a McDonald's restaurant, and both Hispanic, claimed that their employer discriminated against them by requiring them to speak English at work (as opposed to their native Spanish).

Register now for "The Best-Ever Year-End Employment Law Review that Five Employment Law Bloggers Have Ever Presented"

What could you buy for $25?

• Goosh Pants
• A yodeling pickle + Dancing with Cats 
• Gummi Bear Anatomy Model Kit 
• 100 Misprint Ink Pens Ball Point Plastic Retractable Pens + 2 Nicolas Cage pillowcases

What should you buy for $25?

 

One registration to The Best-Ever Year-End Employment Law Review that 

Five Employment Law Bloggers Have Ever Presented

WIRTW #531 (the “Mexico” edition)

Last night, I got to watch my daughter hit a home run, on stage at The Beachland Tavern, singing "Mexico" with decker. (You can read the backstory of how this all came together here.)


Huge thanks to Brandon Decker, for reaching out and offering to share his stage with Norah.

Here's what I read this week:

A resignation in lieu of termination is (more or less) still a termination

"At your request, I am submitting my resignation."

So wrote now-former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in his resignation letter to President Trump.

Yet, no one reasonably believes that Sessions resigned. "At your request, I am submitting my resignation" is a termination, period.

Clients ask me all the time, about an at-risk termination. "Jon, what if we just have him resign? He can't sue us for discrimination, then, right?"

Job applicant told, "Your sexuality may be an issue with the atmosphere of the office environment."

I found the following story posted to the legaladvice subreddit. It's titled, "Turned down for a job, asked what the issues were. Told 'your sexuality may be an issue with the atmosphere of the office environment'."

Sexual harassment prevention 101: NO STRIP CLUBS

Last month, the EEOC held a public meeting on preventing workplace harassment. Entitled, Revamping Workplace Culture to Prevent Harassment, it's the agency's second meeting since forming its Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace, and its first in the #MeToo era.

The EEOC discussed the need for employers to take a holistic approach to change workplace culture to prevent harassment.

Somehow, the EEOC missed "No strip clubs for employees" as one of its anti-harassment talking points.

Managing Election Day at work

As tomorrow is Election Day, I thought I'd share a few tips for employers to keep in mind.

When salary is a proxy for age discrimination

Jim Boylan, recently fired as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, has filed an age discrimination lawsuit against his former employer. According his lawsuit [pdf], then-head coach Ty Lue told him that team owner Dan Gilbert "wants to go younger" in his position and "find somebody who's a grinder and younger."

On its face, those statements certainly seem like direct evidence of age discrimination.

But are they?

WIRTW #530 (the “trick-or-treat” edition)

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, correct?

View this post on Instagram

It’s so embarrassing when someone shows up wearing the exact same costume. #sorcle #twinning

A post shared by Jon Hyman (@jonhyman) on Oct 28, 2018 at 2:27pm PDT

Here's what I read this week:

VOTE for the ‘Worst Employer of 2018’ — polls are open

All year long, I've been sharing examples of the worst employers in America. My goal? Compile them at the end of the year and then turn it over to you, my readers, to pick the worst of the worst.

Today is your opportunity to help pick the Worst Employer of 2018.

I've narrowed my list down to my choice for the top 15 naughty employers.

Voting will take place over two rounds, a preliminary round and a final round.

In the preliminary round — which runs from today until Nov. 21 at 11 pm — you will be able to vote for up to 4 choices. (For ease of reference, I've summarized each nominee, as well has hyperlinked back to the original nominating post.)

I will then tally the votes, and, in early December, I'll be back with the finalists, to offer everyone the chance to vote one last time to name The Worst Employer of 2018.

Vote, share this post with your friends, colleagues, and social networks, and, most importantly, learn something from the mistakes of these 15 very worthy nominees.


Create your own user feedback survey

When you employ a Satanist #HappyHalloween

Rosemary's Baby, the classic 1968 horror film, tells the story of a pregnant woman who (spoiler alert: correctly) assumes that a satanic cult wants her baby. What does Rosemary's Baby have to do with employment law?

In honor of Halloween, I bring you the story of Irving Cortez-Hernandez, a "Catholic-Satanist" who prayed to the Devil for his pregnant co-worker to miscarry, and as a result lost both his job and his religious discrimination lawsuit.

Abortion discrimination = pregnancy discrimination

Is there a more controversial topic than abortion? As controversial and divisive as it might be, the law is pretty clear that an employer cannot fire an employee for having one.

Anti-Semitism at work

The devastating events of this past weekend served as a sobering reminder that anti-Semitism not only still exists, but it's thriving.

The reality is that anti-Semitism never went away. It has always been there, bubbling under the surface. The current climate in our country, however, has given it permission to boil over.

WIRTW #529 (the “new music Friday” edition)

From time-to-time I like to use this Friday real estate to share new music I'm listening to. Today's  new music also has a pretty cool origin story.

My wife and I vacationed in Sedona, Arizona, in July. And, as most Sedona tourists do, we took a jeep tour through the red rocks. Our tour guide was Brandon Decker. Over the course of our two hour tour we chatted, not just about Sedona, its history, and its mysticism, but also about our families, jobs, and lives outside of the jeep. 

We learned that when he's not driving tour jeeps, Brandon Decker is a professional musician. And not only a professional musician, but a professional musician with a new album about to drop and a national tour about to begin. We did some digging of our own afterwards. He's very accomplished in the Southwest, with seven albums and the title of 2011's Arizona Songwriter of the Year.

We told him about the musician in our family, too. Which led to an invitation for Norah to join him on stage when he stops in Cleveland on November 8.

So check out decker., and his unique brand of psychedelic Americana. I think you'll enjoy it.

Here's what I read this week:

From the archives: The Employer Bill of Rights

I recently came across an interesting blog, entitled, 10 Workplace Rights You Think You Have — But Still Don't. Written by plaintiff-side employment lawyer Donna Ballman, it suggests that employees have far fewer workplace protections than they might think, and rights like wrongful termination, free speech, and workplace privacy simply do not exist.

That post got me thinking about a post I wrote 7 years ago — The Employer Bill of Rights.

How many n-bombs does it take to create a hostile work environment?

Smelter v. Southern Home Care Services (11th Cir. 9/24/18) answers the question, "How many n-bombs does it take to create an unlawful hostile work environment?"

So as not to bury the lede, the answer is one.

Why the federal government's culture war against LGBTQ rights might not matter

You would do well to remember just how fluid is gender

"Second Wave Goodbye," War on Women

According to the New York Times, the Trump administration is poised to wage war on transgender rights.

The Trump administration is considering narrowly defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth….

What you need to know about your office lottery pool

Late Friday afternoon (when the Mega Millions was only a mere billion dollars), I received a phone call from Brian Duffy, a reporter from our local CBS affiliate. "We are doing a story on office lottery pools. Are you the right person for me to interview about some of the legal risks?"

Two hours later, he was sitting in my living room with a cameraperson, interviewing me.

WIRTW #528 (the “paranoid” edition)

It's been a few months, but Fake ID was finally back on stage last weekend.


There's not much in life that makes me happier than seeing Norah perform.

Here's what I read this week:

Essential functions are judged by operational realities, not job descriptions

Tony Gunter worked as a press operator for Bemis, Inc., printing graphics for the outside of Huggies diapers. In January 2013, he injured his right shoulder on the job, continued to work for the next seven months, and ultimately opted for surgery when his ongoing physical therapy did not cure the injury.

He returned to his press operator job in December 2013 with temporary restrictions: no reaching with his right arm and no performing overhead work.

Timing of retaliation is key factor in reinstatement of employee's lawsuit

"See something, say something" is one of the most important elements of any workplace intent on stopping harassment. Employers are supposed to empower employees to report any harassment they witness, whether or not they are the target. Key to this idea is ensuring that employees who report harassment do not suffer retaliation as result. Retaliation of any kind will chill efforts of employees to say what they see.

With this background in mind, consider Donley v. Stryker Sales Corp. (7th Cir. 10/15/18) [pdf].

OSHA softens its hard line against workplace safety incentive programs and post-incident drug testing

It's been two years since OSHA announced its hard-line interpretation of its then newly announced anti-retaliation rules—that using incentive programs to penalize workers for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses, and that conducting post-incident drug testing without a reasonable possibility that employee drug use could have contributed to the reported injury or illness, constitutes unlawful retaliation under OSHA.

Last week, OSHA published a memo, which specifically clarifies that it "does not prohibit workplace safety incentive programs or post-incident drug testing." [emphasis in original]

What does this mean?

The 17th nominee for the “worst employer of 2018” is … the hedonistic harasser

Some call it horseplay. I call it sexual assault. And the 17th nominee for the Worst Employer of 2018.

Robert Smith worked behind the meat counter at Rosebud Farm, a small Chicago grocery store. It only took a few weeks after he started work for his male coworkers (including his direct supervisor) to start harassing him. They groped and grabbed his genital and buttocks. They reached down his pants. They repeatedly mimed oral and anal sex on him. And they did this for four years.

WIRTW #527 (the “Yeezy” edition)

There's a lot to say about Kanye's bizarre Oval Office meeting with President Trump.

But the most shocking? His iPhone password is "000000."

lmao Kanye's iPhone password is 000000 pic.twitter.com/mEM5Tjq0po

— Del Slappo (@misterjamo) October 11, 2018

Please, please, please, DO NOT DO WHAT KANYE DOES.

According to howsecureismypassword.net, Kanye's password can be cracked instantly. In other words, it's not a password at all.

You can read more about the importance of password security for you and your employees here.

Here's what else I read this week:

Make your business cyber-aware for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

Let's see how good your cyber-awareness is.

Do you know the top method of cyber-attack?

#HimToo is a BAD bandwagon on which to jump in your workplace

since she deleted it here’s a screenshot. one of the greatest posts of all time pic.twitter.com/Z6TUKOjH9T

— KT NELSON (@KrangTNelson) October 8, 2018

#HimToo

A hashtag started as a reaction to #MeToo, put forth by those who believe that false accusations of rape and sexual assault against men are common and happen way too often.

Employers, #HimToo is dangerous to your workplace.

How does one measure the impact of #MeToo at its first anniversary?

It's been one year since the the New York Times reported allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein that started the #MeToo movement. Since, at least 425 prominent people across industries have been publicly accused of sexual misconduct.

The story, however, goes beyond the rich, and the famous, and the powerful. #MeToo has permeated every corner of our culture.

The EEOC just released its preliminary data on its handling of sexual harassment charges for its 2018 fiscal year—October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2018—a year that syncs almost too perfectly with the first year of #MeToo.

Court reminds that economic realities, not corporate formalities, govern independent contractor status

The distinction between independent contractors and employees continues to confound employers.

At issue in Acosta v. Jani-King of Oklahoma (10th Cir. 10/3/18) [pdf] is whether the Department of Labor could continue its FLSA claims on behalf of individuals who provide cleaning services as franchisees of a janitorial company. If the franchisees are independent contractors, then the FLSA does not coverthem. If, however, the company misclassified them as independent contractors, then the DOL has something to litigate.

WIRTW #526 (the “pumpkin” edition)

Pumpkin pie. Pumpkin spice. Pumpkin carving. Pumpkin festivals. Fall is officially the season of the pumpkin.

What are you doing Sunday, October 14? I'll be enjoying the return of Fake ID, as Norah and her bandmates take the stage from 11 – 1 at the Hiram House Camp Pumpkin Festival. They won't be hard to find on the property; just follow the music. Tickets are only $5 and are available here (kids under 12 are free).

Here's what I read this week:

Are you planning to take advantage of the IRS's employer tax credit for paid family and medical leave?

When Congress reformed the tax law earlier this year, one key change that might have flown under your radar is an employer tax credit for paid family and medical leave.

The IRS has a helpful Q&A available here.

EEOC sues Walmart for not hiring a congential amputee

The EEOC has sued Walmart on behalf of a woman who claims the retailer failed to hire her for a stocker job after it learned that she born without a right hand.

The Houston Chronicle has the details:

"I'm going to need every Saturday off; is that gonna be a problem?"

Darrell Patterson had worked in Walgreens' 24/7 call center for six years without incident. He claims Walgreens fired him for skipping an emergency training session held on a Saturday. He's a Seventh-day Adventist, and it's against his religion to work on the Sabbath (from sundown Friday through downs Saturday). Until his firing, they had worked cooperatively to schedule around this religious prohibitions, without incident.

Patterson's religion and Walgreens' scheduling came to a head in 2011, however, when Walgreens asked Patterson to cover an emergency Saturday training session. When he missed the training class, Walgreens fired him.

5 steps to take when an employee sues your company

I've written a lot over the years about best practices to prevent lawsuits by employees.

The fact remains, though, that no matter how good a company's HR practices are, and no matter how proactive a company is with its legal compliance, a certain percentage of terminations and other employment decisions will turn into lawsuits. It's the simple the cost of doing business.

WIRTW #525 (the “pogo” edition)

I have no idea if he managed to hit the right keys, but he's sure mastered the entertainment part of this rock 'n' roll thing.

View this post on Instagram

Donovan mastering the art of pogo keyboarding #sorcle

A post shared by Jon Hyman (@jonhyman) on Sep 23, 2018 at 4:47pm PDT

Here's what I read this week:

Don't Lindsey Graham your company's harassment investigations

What am I supposed to do, go ahead and ruin this guy's life based on an accusation? I'm just being honest. Unless there's something more, no, I'm not going to ruin Judge Kavanaugh's life over this. But she should come forward. She should have her say. She will be respectfully treated.

 – Senator Lindsey Graham

He-said/she-said cases of sexual harassment are difficult. You are making a decision that will impact the lives of two (or more) people often based solely on your evaluation of the credibility of the complaining employee, the accused, and witnesses (if any).

Cuyahoga County bans LGBTQ discrimination

Cuyahoga County, Ohio, my home county, has lately been on the receiving end of some bad press. Season 3 of Serial just landed on your podcast app of choice, and it does not portray my county's criminal justice system in the most positive of lights.

So, today, I thought I'd share something positive from Cuyahoga County.

Yesterday, the County Council passed legislation prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination in employment, as well as housing and public accommodations.

Don't ignore state law when considering wage-and-hour issues

In Integrity Staffing Solutions v. Busk, the U.S. Supreme Court held the employees of an Amazon fulfillment center were not entitled to be paid under the FLSA for time spent waiting in line for a post-shift security screening.

And yet, last week, in parallel litigation under Nevada state law, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals just held that time spent undergoing mandatory security checks is compensable under Nevada law,  reversing a contrary lower court ruling.

The 16th nominee for the “worst employer of 2018” is … the sexist, racist, xenophobic, oh my!

"Jon, your first 15 nominees this year were so awful. How are we supposed to decide which is the worst, and please stop adding nominees. You're only making our job harder."

Well, dear readers, sorry. Sometimes, I pick the nominees, and sometimes they leap off the screen begging to be nominated.

WIRTW #524 (the “total disaster” edition)

Any week Rhett Miller releases new music into the world is a week worth celebrating. Earlier this week Rhett released "Total Disaster," the first song of his upcoming album, The Messenger, due out November 9.


It's a brilliantly sad song about the mess one can make of one's life and how it impacts those around you. In fact, the entire album promises to be a bit on the darker side. A few months ago, on Chris Shiflett's "Walking the Floor" podcast, Rhett talked about some of the album's themes:

[The album's title] comes from a bridge in a song called "Human Condition." There were some of these songs where I kind of went back to my 14-year-old self. When I was 14, I had a real serous suicide attempt, and that's when I started addressing my issues of depression and mental health. It's not something I've talked about until recently, but now that I've got kids around that age, I was like, "Oh shit, I've gotta talk about this, because it's become over-stigmatized." I started thinking abut the 14 year-old that was in that space, and I started thinking, "If I was to go back and write a letter to myself…" I wish I could go back to my 14-year-old self and be like, "Dude, chill out. It’s going to be ok."

As if this isn't news enough, one week later, on November 16, Old 97's will release their very first Christmas album, Love the Holidays—nine original holiday tunes plus a cover of "Auld Lang Syne."


You can read all about these projects at Old97s.com, and both albums are available for pre-order from ATO Records. 

Here's what I else I read this week:

What employment sins are you atoning for this year?

Yesterday was Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.

For the uninitiated, it is the day on which we make peace with God for all of the sins we've committed over the past year. On Rosh Hashanah God writes each person's name in Book of Life. Over the next 10 days, Jews seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God and our fellow humans. During Yom Kippur, each individual makes their personal petitions to God, and hopes for forgiveness for the upcoming year. If all goes well, when God closes the Book of Life at the end of Yom Kippur, your name remains and your soul is safe for another year.

I explain it to my Catholic children like this. Catholics (are supposed to) confess their sins each week. Jews save them up one shot on Yom Kippur. We've yet to try the chicken swinging; they're not ready for it. (I'm not sure I am, or ever will be, either).

There's a new sheriff in town at the NLRB

Last week was a big one at the National Labor Relations Board.

First, the Board announced its intent to modify its joint employer standard. This move, while not unexpected, is nevertheless significant. You can read all of the backstory on this issue here.

Sexual harassment allegations unjustifiably ruin people's lives only if they are false

Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused - life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 10, 2018

Yesterday, The Washington Post published Christine Blasey Ford's decades old allegations of sexual abuse she claims to have suffered at the hand of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Supreme Court nominee. You can read the full letter here.

WIRTW #523 (the “radio radio” edition)

Earlier this week, I guested on AirTalk®, 89.3 KPCC in Los Angeles. I discussed the rights of employers to access information on employees' personal devices. It's an interesting and timely topic, in light of a lawsuit recently filed by an ex-managing director of an investment firm, accusing his former employer of hacking into his home computer to read his personal emails and obtain other stored data.

Where is the line between a personal device and a work device, and does the law make a distinction if the device is used for work?

Click here to listen to our discussion. And a huge thank you to Larry Mantle and his staff for having me on.

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In other news, if you find yourself in Cleveland's southwestern suburbs this Saturday at 2:30 pm or next Sunday at 3:30 pm, stop in at Slim & Chubby's, in Strongsville, to experience Norah and Donovan getting their School of Rock punk on. Green Day, Bad Religion, Rancid, The Interrupters, The Distillers, Frank Turner, and more Green Day.

Here's what I read this week:

Do you have employee-theft insurance?

The Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion, a science museum showcasing one of the largest living arthropod collections in the United States, recently suffered a catastrophic loss. Crooks heisted over 80% of its collection — 7,000 of its rare insects, lizards, and snakes, valued at over $40,000.

According to The New York Times, police believe this to have been an inside job. Three current or former museum employees are the suspects. The evidence? Security-camera footage, plus staff uniforms hung from knives that had been stabbed into a wall.

The 15th nominee for the “worst employer of 2018” is … the tasering torturer

Was this a car dealership or the set of Hostel 4?

Jason Cox worked as a car salesperson for Marietta Motors. According to Cox's lawsuit, for the entirety of his 10 months of employment, the company's owner, Travis Westfall, engaged in a continuous and unrelenting campaign of verbal and physical abuse and harassment.

Cox claims that Westfall:

• Repeatedly demeaned him based on his large size, with names such as "Tiny," "Fat Ass," and "handicapped."
• On numerous occasions, pointed at Cox the red laser-sight of the handgun he kept at work.
• Placed the handgun to Cox's chest while telling him not to make any sudden moves.
• More than once held knives or other sharp objects to Cox's throat while demanding that he not make any sudden movements.
• Told Cox that he could "slit [his] throat and sleep just fine at night."
• Struck Cox with a soda bottle on his surgically repaired leg.
• Punched Cox repeatedly.
• Lit fires near Cox.
• Duck taped Cox's phone to his hand and head while he was talking.
• Repeatedly shocked Cox with a taser, to the point that his co-workers attempted to hide the weapon from Westfall.

Cox also claims that Westfall captured the abuse on video and shared it on social media. 

Ultimately, claims Cox, he quit and fled the workplace, but not before he claims to have suffered severe and permanent mental and physical injuries.

If even a portion of this stuff happened, not only will it qualify Marietta Motors and Travis Westfall for a well-deserved nomination for the Worst Employer of 2018, but it will also result in a very large and warranted payday for Jason Cox.

Everything you want to know about employee polygraph tests

Lie detector tests, have been all over the news lately. Reports suggest that Donald Trump wants to administer these examinations to the entire White House staff to identify the author of the anonymous New York Times op-ed.

There are no laws prohibiting the White House from using polygraphs in this manner. The federal law that regulates their use in the workplace—the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988—does not apply to the government.

For private-sector employers, however, the EPPA imposes strict prohibitions on the use of any device to render a diagnostic opinion as to the honesty or dishonesty of an individual.

Do you really want to be the employer that bans your employees from wearing Nike products?

Last week, Nike launched its new ad campaign featuring (former) NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He's most famous for being the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem. As a result, he's become a lightning rod around our national conversation about race relations. He claims the NFL has blackballed him because of his outspokenness on the issue.