Recently in Employment Law Category

In a video clip that's gone viral, Pat Sajak of TV's "Wheel of Fortune" admits to an HWI -- hosting a game show while intoxicated.

"Yes. When I first started and was much younger and could tolerate those things," Sajak said during an ESPN2 talk show on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Pat Sajak and co-host Vanna White routinely tossed back "two or three or six" margaritas between tapings of "Wheel of Fortune" in the early 1980s, Sajak said. (When pressed for the actual number of drinks, Sajak replied, "I think the average number was cuatro.")

Tennessee police officer James Bishop was fired last week for smoking inside the precinct. Bishop had been a veteran of the force for about 17 years.

As a police officer, Bishop was employed to uphold the law. It turns out he might have been breaking the rules himself.

A city ordinance passed in 2007 forbade smoking inside municipal buildings. This includes the police precinct, according to the AP.

Everybody gripes about their job at some point. But bear in mind that if you do so over the web, you face the risk of being on the receiving end of a social media firing. We've all heard stories about people getting fired over Facebook.

Many tend to forget that their Facebook and Twitter feeds often aren't as "private" as you would think.

So what are some ways your career can meet an early demise due to a social media misstep?

A class-action Hooters lawsuit settlement will bring an end to "indignities" suffered by the restaurant chain's waitresses, an attorney for the workers says.

The suit, filed in March 2010 in Sacramento, involved about 400 Hooters workers at the chain's central California locations who claimed the company violated their rights as employees, KCRA-TV reports. Hooters is known for outfitting voluptuous waitresses in tight-fitting t-shirts.

The workers alleged they weren't allowed to take breaks as required by law, had to pay out-of-pocket for their uniforms, and were held financially responsible when customers bailed on paying their checks.

A Nevada baggage handler has been cleared to return to her job, weeks after being fired for reporting a severe case of animal abuse. The move may also serve to fend off a potential lawsuit.

Lynn Jones, 56, was loading baggage and pet carriers onto planes last month at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. One pet's plight in particular caught her eye: An emaciated pointer with bloody paws, its body covered in sores.

Jones claims her supervisor told her to look the other way, the Reno Gazette-Journal reports. Jones, in tears, called authorities instead.

As temperatures drop and holiday cheer increases, some may find themselves trying for a baby. Though it's fun to focus on tiny clothes and pretty nurseries, it's also important to talk about the changing financial situation.

If the mother-to-be works, pregnancy discrimination should be part of that discussion.

Though the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 has been in force for quite some time, pregnancy discrimination is a persistent problem. The number of complaints filed with the EEOC have skyrocketed in recent years, reaching 6,119 in 2010.

Georgia man and devout Christian Billy E. Hyatt worked in a factory. His plant, Berry Plastics Corp., required employees to wear stickers with the number of days they have gone accident-free. As the numbers approached the “666” mark, Hyatt became concerned. He didn’t want to wear a “666” sticker.

To him, that number was the “mark of the beast” as proclaimed in the Bible’s Book of Revelation.

He believed that if he wore the mark he would be “condemned to hell.” He explained the situation to the manager, who at first seemed receptive to his beliefs. Until the “666” day actually came, at which point the manager told Hyatt he needed to wear the sticker if he didn’t want to face a three-day suspension. Hyatt took the suspension, but was fired several days later.

It takes approximately 15 minutes for a nurse to change into and out of her scrubs. Or so says a lawsuit filed by Natalie Fiore and Lisa Stransky, nurses at Colorado's Aurora Medical Center.

The nurses' scrub lawsuit argues that the hospital's nurses should be paid for changing their clothes. Employees are required to wear the hospital's scrubs, but are not allowed to take them home.

Instead, they must show up 15 minutes early and locate the proper sized scrubs. Once they change, they can clock in and start working.

Sharon Bialek is the fourth woman to accuse GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment. Accompanied by attorney Gloria Allred, she held a press conference this morning and told the following story.

In 1997, Bialek was employed by the National Restaurant Association's (NRA) education foundation. At this time, Herman Cain was the NRA's president. Just prior to the incident, Bialek alleges that Cain offered to help her find a job with a state restaurant association.

As they sat in a car, he allegedly his hand under her skirt and pulled her head toward his crotch. When she objected, he said, "You want a job, right?"

 Can Sharon Bialek sue for this alleged sexual harassment?

This is a real-life kitchen nightmare: A chef at a Morton's steakhouse sued his ex-coworkers for attempting to rape him in the restaurant. The Morton's lawsuit details some appalling and disgusting behavior going on at the chain's Boca Raton, Fla. location.

It at all began when a cook stuffed asparagus down his pants. The stalks were then served to unsuspecting diners.