Currently, in Maine, it is legal for an employer to refuse to hire an applicant because she is unemployed. A bill which recently passed the Maine House would change that. Discrimination against someone because he is unemployed strikes many as unfair particularly because so many people become unemployed due to…
Yesterday, a bill that would provide further protections for mothers who need to nurse or express breast milk in the workplace passed the Maine House. Maine law currently requires employers to provide accommodations to employees who need to nurse or express breast milk but the penalties for failing to obey…
The gay rights advocacy group Freedom to Work recently filed a lawsuit in Illinois against Exxon Mobil for discrimination against a gay applicant. Freedom to Work filed the lawsuit after it conducted a test to determine whether Exxon would discriminate against a gay applicant. In connection with this test, Freedom…
In recent weeks, a Maine-based trailer manufacturer, ALCOM, and Maine’s largest medical marijuana company, Wellness Connection of Maine (WCM), have reportedly faced accusations that they retaliated against employees who tried to organize labor unions. Complaints have been filed against both employers with the National Labor Relations Board. The complaints allege,…
This week, the New England Patriots cut defensive lineman Kyle Love. According to Love’s agent, Richard Kopelman, the Patriots made this decision shortly after Love was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Due to the timing of the Patriots’ decision, many have questioned whether Love’s disability factored into the Patriots’ decision.…
In July 2012, we reported that a class of African American plaintiffs had sued the retailer Wet Seal for race discrimination. In support of their claims, the plaintiffs obtained emails that contained powerful evidence of race discrimination. Wet Seal and the plaintiffs recently settled this case. As a result of…
An investigator with the Maine Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has reportedly found that the town of Old Orchard Beach retaliated against an office manager, Kelly Roy, because she blew the whistle on allegedly unlawful financial activity. After she blew the whistle, Old Orchard Beach reduced her hours, took away her…
Records from the Maine Department of Corrections (Maine DOC) reportedly show that Maine DOC disciplined eight officers at the Maine State Prison this year for making ethnic slurs against another officer. Maine DOC also reportedly disciplined a supervisor who failed to take corrective action when he became aware of the…
A case in New York City illustrates one reason why it is important to retain an experienced attorney to represent you if you have to file a lawsuit against an employer who has violated your rights. In this case, a former attorney named Alexandra Marchuk sued her former firm, Faruqi…
The Maine Employment Lawyers Association (MELA), an organization of lawyers who represent workers in Maine, plans to ask the Maine Attorney General to investigate allegations that Governor LePage pressured unemployment hearing officers to more often find in favor of businesses and against workers. The request for an investigation stems from…