Supreme Court declines to hear Equal Pay Act case
The Supreme Court is leaving in place a decision that employers can’t use past salary history to justify a pay disparity between male and female employees.
labor and employment
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Holcomb appoints new Department of Labor commissioner
Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Wednesday morning that Joe Hoage, who has been general counsel for the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles since 2017, will become commissioner of the Indiana Department of Labor on July 13.
Appeals court puts Indiana Grand horseman’s negligence case out to pasture
A horseman who claims he was injured after another rider’s horse got loose during training exercises at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino didn’t win, place or show Friday at the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Connor and Loeffler: (Re)open for business: Employers’ questions for the next normal
As Indiana reopens amid COVID-19, employers will contend with various challenges and significant workplace changes. In addition to evolving federal guidance and recommendations, employers will need to take into account the rapidly changing orders and guidance from state and local authorities.
Trump administration extends visa ban to non-immigrants
The Trump administration on Monday extended a ban on green cards issued outside the United States until the end of the year and added many temporary work visas to the freeze, including those used heavily by technology companies and multinational corporations.
Roncalli, archdiocese lose bid to limit discovery in fired counselor’s discrimination suit
The Indianapolis Archdiocese and an affiliated high school have once again lost a bid to limit discovery in a fired employee’s same-sex discrimination lawsuit to the question of whether the plaintiff’s claims fall under the First Amendment’s “ministerial exception.”
Businesses ask patrons, workers to waive right to sue if they get ill
As businesses reopen across the U.S. after coronavirus shutdowns, many are requiring customers and workers to sign forms saying they won’t sue if they catch COVID-19.
Justices rule LGBT people protected from job discrimination
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled Monday that a landmark civil rights law protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment, a resounding victory for LGBT rights from a conservative court.
State disputes federal claims that IOSHA wrongly dropped fines related to Amazon worker’s death
The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration is disputing a federal report that found the state agency should not have dismissed safety violations related to an Amazon employee’s death in 2017.
Court backs Trump administration on COVID-19 safety at work
The Trump administration does not have to issue an emergency rule requiring employers to protect workers from the coronavirus, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday in a case brought by leading labor unions.
Ex-UAW president pleads guilty to living high life on dues
A former president of the United Auto Workers pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring with others to embezzle dues to pay for golf trips, expensive meals and stays at California villas — the most significant conviction yet in a scandal that has roiled the union.
Fired IDEM employee loses appeal in whistleblower dispute
A former environmental chemist who was fired from his longstanding position at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management could not convince a panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals that he was terminated for being a whistleblower.
Union: Inmate COVID-19 case at Terre Haute federal prison
A case of COVID-19 in an inmate has been reported at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, a prison workers union official said.
SCOTUS begins second week of arguments with live audio
Ready for round 2? The United States Supreme Court is holding its second week of arguments by telephone because of the coronavirus pandemic, with audio available live to audiences around the world.
Report: Indiana too quick to clear Amazon in worker’s death
Indiana’s safety agency prematurely released Amazon from citations and fines in the death of a warehouse employee who was crushed by a forklift, a federal investigation has found.
Court questions archdiocese’s authority to terminate gay teacher
Marion Superior Court has denied a motion filed by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a gay former Cathedral High School teacher, finding the archdiocese may not be the “highest ecclesiastical authority.”
Web Exclusive: IndyBar Foundation crisis fund benefits lawyers, Hoosiers in financial squeeze
In light of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Indianapolis Bar Foundation earlier this month implemented a new fund called the Crisis Empowerment Grant Program. The fund’s goal is two-fold: to put dollars in the pockets of lawyers who may be struggling to make ends meet while continuing to provide free legal services to central Indiana families through four local agencies.
Hearing officer: No discipline necessary for lawyer in Park Tudor sex scandal
Despite a finding that prominent Indianapolis employment attorney Michael Blickman violated an ethical rule in his handling of a student-teacher sex scandal at Park Tudor High School, the hearing officer in Blickman’s disciplinary case is not recommending any action against his law license.
Trump signs $484 billion measure to aid employers, hospitals
President Donald Trump signed a $484 billion bill Friday to aid employers and hospitals under stress from the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 50,000 Americans and devastated broad swaths of the economy.
Sizing up Trump’s green-card halt: Is it just temporary?
President Donald Trump says a suspension of green cards is necessary at a time when unemployment has climbed to levels last seen during the Great Depression. But critics dismissed the move as the president’s veiled attempt to achieve cuts to legal immigration and to distract voters from his handling of the pandemic.