As Pennsylvania’s Primary Election approaches, one of the unexpected political issues is affirmative action.  Newsweek columnist Seth Colter Walls discusses the situation in Obama’s Postracial Test. The column describes the election battleground created by state ballot initiatives like California’s Proposition 209 and Michigan’s Proposal 2 that prohibit public institutions from considering race, sex or ethnicity in hiring, contracting for goods/services or college admissions. Similar ballot initiatives may appear in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and…

Charley Blaine hit the nail on the head with his observation about the Bear Stearns’ fallout appearing  in his posting MSN moneyblog: My guess is that Bear Stearns’ 14,000 employees will be the biggest losers. The company’s employee-stock-ownership plan owned 23% of the shares as of Feb. 14. The shares that day had a market value of $2.18 billion. It’s almost gone now. Needless to say, Bear Stearns employees aren’t happy. Check here for a…

The EEOC’s Report of Discrimination Charge filings notes that Retaliation claims rose 18% to a record high, doubling since 1992. There were 26,663 retaliation based charges filed in 2007 up from 22,555 the previous year. The trend might be explained, in part, by employees filing both a discrimination charge and a retaliation claim; increased awareness by employees, or employers mishandling employee internal complaints of discrimination. Claims of retaliation take a very predictable path like the one recounted…

Today’s headlines about Governor Eliot Spitzer’s link to a prostitution ring recount another scandal involving a high level government official. Spitzer attempted to “manage” the scandal by calling a press conference, his spouse at his side, apologizing for his behavior and describing the rest as a “private matter”.   After this “ritual of repentance“, Spitzer is “weighing his resignation”. To this, I refer back to a statement attributed to  Representative Dick Armey who was…

The number of Discrimination Charges filed with the EEOC increased to 82,792 in 2007, up from 75,768 the previous year. Race, Gender and Retaliation charges were the most frequently reported charges.  The EEOC’s nonsensical reporting style makes it difficult to glean much more information since the report doesn’t account for individuals claiming multiple types of discrimination. Also irritating for employers is the EEOC’s explanation for the increase in the number of charges: EEOC Commission Chair Naomi C.…

In response to heavy lobbying by the Pennsylvania Newspapers Association, Pennsylvania enacted legislation overhauling what was largely regarded as one of the worst open records laws in the country.   The “Right-to-Know Law” is generally effective January 1, 2009, and applies to the public records of state and local agencies, the state legislature, municipalities and the judicial system. All records are presumed to be public records unless subject to specific exemption, protected by legal privilege…

The subject of “ageism” is a hot topic in the press and among employment commentators. As Baby Boomers grow older so does the  percentage of the United State population perceived as old and protected by age discrimination laws. According to AARP, the percentage of people 65 and older who work has grown from 10.8 percent in 1985 to 16 percent last year. For people ages 55 to 64, the numbers also are…