The Town of Dixfield and the Teamsters Union are engaged in a dispute over Dixfield’s treatment of long-time employee Darlene Brann, who served as an administrative assistant in Dixfield’s Public Works Department and the Shop Steward for the union. According to the Teamsters, Dixfield has spent over $29,000 in legal…
A new study provides further evidence that employers discriminate against pregnant women when they apply for a job but the study also offers pregnant job seekers helpful tips for getting around the discriminatory biases of employers. The researchers who conducted the study found that pregnant job applicants experienced more hostility…
Earlier this week, the First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court’s decision to award the plaintiff’s attorney in Diaz v. Jiten Hotel Management, Inc. over $100,000 in fees and costs after she won a jury verdict of only $7,650 for her client in an age discrimination case. The…
Yesterday, the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals held that a reasonable jury could conclude that Flight Services & Systems, Inc. unlawfully retaliated against a former skycap, Joseph Travers, because he complained about Flight Services’ violation of wage & hour laws. Travers had served as a named representative of a…
Back in 2011, in this post and this post, we discussed the plans of some Maine Republican lawmakers to loosen restrictions on child labor. Those plans did not come to fruition but, according to recent news reports, the LePage administration wants to try again but this time with some measures…
Earlier this month, a jury in California reportedly found that Orange County Sheriff’s Department violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA) when it discriminated against a deputy sheriff because of his service as a Marine in the Iraq war. The veteran, Scott Montoya, won the Navy Cross…
Many sports fans have been following the situation in Miami involving the claims of former Dolphins lineman Jonathan Martin. Martin, who is African American, claims that his teammates, including fellow lineman Richie Incognito, racially harassed him. Martin left the team because of the harassment. Could the Dolphins be legally liable…
In Winslow v. Aroostook County and Northern Maine Development Commission, Inc. (NMDC), the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of the plaintiff’s whistleblower case because it found that she was not a “whistleblower” under the terms of Maine’s Whistleblower Protection Act (MWPA). The First Circuit found that…
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) on a vote of 64-32. The bill would make it illegal for employers to discriminate against employees and applicants because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. While the Maine Human Rights Act already prohibits discrimination against GLBT individuals, such…
Earlier this month, the Labor and Workforce Development Committee of the Massachusetts House voted in favor of a bill that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of height and weight. The bill would add height and weight to the list of characteristics that employers already may not use to…