Recently in Employment Law Category

A group of Colorado janitors claim discrimination at their workplace has led to unsafe and unfair working conditions.

The 12 custodial workers speak Spanish, but managers at the Auraria Higher Education Center in Denver communicated to the workers only in English. That's led to workplace injuries and unfair changes to their work schedules, resulting in pay decreases, the workers' lawyer told The Denver Post.

The janitors' discrimination complaint, filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleges the lack of communication in their native language amounts to national origin discrimination. Do they have a case?

Is it ever legal for your boss to take your tips? This question hits home for millions in the restaurant industry, along with other service workers; for many, gratuities can make the difference between a living wage and living in poverty.

Generally, the answer is a resounding "no": It is not legal for managers to take a worker's tips. Tips belong to the employee.

But before you raise the issue with your boss, there may be some legal caveats to consider.

Nothing stings worse than being denied unemployment benefits. Well, maybe losing that high-paying job in the first place ranks higher, but this is not an economic climate for moping.

If you are turned down for unemployment benefits, here are three potential courses of action:

Like an early Mother's Day gift, Yahoo's new maternity leave policy, announced last week, is being well received by women in the workforce. But chances are, your employer may not be so generous when it comes to time off and other benefits for new moms.

Yahoo now offers mothers up to 16 weeks of paid time off after childbirth. The company will also give new parents $500 to spend on things such as house cleaning, groceries and babysitters.

For everyone else who doesn't work at Yahoo, what should you look for in your company's maternity leave policy? Here are five questions to ask at work:

Bosses know that many employees aren't just working on the job, they're also writing personal email. The employer trump card? Monitor employee email activity. But is it legal for your boss to read your email?

Generally, you don't have privacy rights in your emails at work. If you're on your employer's computer system, your employer can monitor your communications, as long as they have a valid reason for doing it.

So what reasons are considered valid?

The Colorado Court of Appeals handed down a major bummer for pot patients last week, confirming that it is OK for employers to fire employees who smoke medical marijuana.

The court ruled that since medical marijuana is prohibited under federal law, companies like Dish Network are free to terminate employees who test positive for pot, the Associated Press reports.

Still, after the voter initiative in Colorado that legalized recreational marijuana use, why is it OK to fire pot users?

The economy is growing, but the job market is remains pretty rough. When you're applying for a job, having your own website can increase your odds of success.

A personal resume website can add a spark of personality to your paper (or PDF) resume and cover letter. Before you know it, you might just have a real foot in the door to a new job.

Here are five tips for a successful -- and legal -- personal resume website:

Nepotism is a decidedly negative word. But if you threaten someone that you're going to sue for nepotism, will you be laughed out the door?

If you phrase it that way, you might get some strange looks. But favoritism at work can be a form of discrimination, as Demand Media explains. In some cases, you may even have a right to sue.

There are few, if any, laws that specifically prohibit nepotism. But there are many laws, both state and federal, that prohibit discrimination. It's where the two overlap that there may be grounds for an employee to file a lawsuit.

Hooters is being sued in federal court by a former employee who alleges that she was forced to quit her job when her appearance changed after brain surgery.

After having a cranial mass removed, former Hooters waitress Sandra Lupo returned to work with buzz cut hair and a healing scar, ABC News reports. When she said it was too painful to wear a wig, Lupo was allegedly pushed out of her job.

The case raises the classic and re-occurring Hooters question: Can a physical condition affecting appearance qualify as a protected disability? Let's break it down.

Can you get fired for selling Girl Scout cookies at work? A single mom from Washington, D.C., has learned the answer the hard way.

Tracy Lewis worked for several food services companies on American University's campus for almost 30 years, and most recently worked as a retail service manager for an on-campus convenience store. She's been selling Girl Scout cookies at work for three years without any problems, she told Washington's WTTG-TV.

But last month, Lewis says her boss confronted her about her Girl Scout cookie sales -- an act that apparently caused her career to crumble.