Company to pay $10K fine in worker’s death at IU’s campus
A contractor has agreed to pay $10,000 in fines for workplace safety violations found after a worker died at an Indiana University construction site.
labor and employment
Articles
Lawyer’s Indy skyline photo on trial in infringement case
More than 18 years ago, an attorney with a photography hobby took a photo of the Indianapolis skyline that would later become the subject of dozens of copyright infringement lawsuits he filed against defendants across the country. One of those cases came to trial Tuesday in a contentious, seven-hour hearing that also put the photo itself on trial.
Supreme Court deals big setback to labor unions
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that government workers can’t be forced to contribute to labor unions that represent them in collective bargaining, dealing a serious financial blow to organized labor.
7th Circuit upholds denial of fraud on the court, attorney sanctions
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the denial of an Indiana’s man motion alleging fraud on the court and affirmed sanctions against his attorney, finding the district court did not err when making either ruling.
Lawmakers skip assessment of unemployment fund
Despite Indiana’s unemployment rate of 3.2 percent, the General Assembly is still required by law to perform a yearly checkup of the unemployment fund to make sure the nest egg is strong and healthy enough to support Hoosier workers who are laid off. However, at present, no examination has been scheduled.
SCOTUS-created group lists anti-harassment measures
A federal working group has made two dozen recommendations for ways the judiciary can prevent and respond to workplace harassment, issuing a report that marks the end of the first phase of a U.S. Supreme Court-led initiative that began in response to the national #MeToo movement.
DCS launching online background check portal Monday
The Indiana Department of Child Services will begin using an online background check program next week, a change the department expects will expedite new employee processing by about two weeks.
Harvey Weinstein arraigned on rape, criminal sex act charges
Flinching when he heard himself described as a man who used power to prey on women, disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was arraigned Friday on rape and other charges in the first criminal prosecution to result from the wave of allegations against him that sparked a national reckoning over sexual misconduct.
Firm can pursue damages in competitor’s recruitment of workers
An Indianapolis-based civil engineering firm will have the opportunity to defend its demand for liquidated damages from three employees who allegedly violated non-recruitment agreements after the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed summary judgment for the firm’s competitor. The court also upheld the denial of summary judgment to the competitor on two additional claims stemming from its alleged impermissible recruitment of employees.
Divided Supreme Court rules for businesses over workers
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled employers can prohibit workers from banding together to dispute their pay and conditions in the workplace, an important victory for business interests. The justices ruled 5-4 Monday, with the court’s conservative members in the majority, that businesses can force employees to individually use arbitration, not the courts, to resolve disputes.
7th Circuit upholds Allen County workers’ comp judgment
The Allen County Board of Commissioners cannot be held liable for a former county court employee’s disability claims because the board was neither his direct nor indirect employer, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.
Lake County Jail deal seeks to curb turnover, overtime
A county in northwestern Indiana has ratified a jail contract that increases jailers’ pay in an effort to curb turnover and overtime among corrections officers.
IU had 56 reports alleging employee sexual misconduct
More than 50 reports alleging sexual misconduct by Indiana University employees across all campuses were filed from July 2016 to June 2017. The Bloomington campus had 17 reports and the Indiana University-Purdue University campus in Indianapolis had 21.
Justices to hear argument in blocked railroad crossings case
The question of whether state or federal law determines how long trains can block traffic at railroad crossings will come before the Indiana Supreme Court during oral argument this week. These case is one of three that justices will hear Thursday.
7th Circuit affirms judgment against rejected firefighter
A man who sued the Indianapolis Fire Department alleging he was not hired as a firefighter as retaliation for his father’s lawsuit against the department lost his appeal of a ruling against him Thursday.
South Bend must pay ex-female officer $80K in retaliation case
A federal judge has ordered a city in Indiana to pay more than $80,000 to a former female police officer who alleged the department illegally retaliated against her for accusing a male supervisor of sexual harassment.
Hiring improves for smaller law school Class of 2017
The Class of 2017 graduating from Indiana law schools followed the national trend of being smaller than the previous class and posting better jobs numbers, but the Hoosier graduates moved in the opposite direction by posting a slight increase in unemployment, according new data released from the American Bar Association.
Attorneys, arbitrators: #MeToo isn’t changing employment arbitration agreements
The national movement to bring awareness to sexual harassment has stirred a conversation about how workplace harassment claims are resolved. Many victims’ rights advocates have spoken out against arbitration procedures mandated through employment contracts, saying the process is designed to silence victims and keep them out of court.
State government confronts sexual harassment
With the rise of the #MeToo movement, organizations of all sizes, including state governments, have been forced to take a long look at themselves. After the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation this year to expand training and write a sexual harassment prevention policy for the legislature for the first time, the other two branches of state government are taking action.
Justices won’t hear commercial court constitutionality challenge
The Indiana Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal that challenged the constitutionality of the state’s commercial court dockets in a case that permitted enforcement of a noncompete agreement against a glass company worker.