This is an update to our March 28th post – EEO-1 Reporting Requirements Become More Onerous . . . Maybe. Employers with 100 or more employees, and federal contractors with 50 or more employees, have until September 30, 2019 to file EEO-1 Component 2 pay data for calendar years 2017 and 2018 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”). Component 1 demographic data, which includes identification of the number of employees by race, ethnicity,…

Following its usual approach of lifting employment restrictions in the five boroughs, on April 9, 2019 the New York City Council approved legislation that will prevent employers from conducting pre-employment screens for tetrahydrocannabinols, commonly known as THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. The bill was sent to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is expected to sign it into law.…

The fact-pattern is familiar to employers who have been on the receiving end of attorney litigation threats. A plaintiff’s lawyer calls, or writes a letter, outlining a potential claim by a client, makes a demand for damages, then perhaps throws in mention of the harm the company will suffer if the allegations become “public.” Just another run-of-the-mill litigation threat from a plaintiff’s attorney. Nothing to make a “federal case” out of it, right? Nothing criminal,…

The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (“EEOC”) has always required employers with 50 or more employees to submit annual reports, known as “EEO-1” submissions, to the Commission. These report are required to include data concerning the number of employees the company employs based on gender, race, and ethnicity. At two pages long, they were relatively straightforward and the data fairly easy to submit. The requirement has yo-yoed back and forth from being much more onerous over…

Harassment claims continue to dominate the legal news, but the Second Circuit recently reminded us that workplace harassment extends far beyond sex and gender. The Circuit recently joined several sister circuits recognizing that a plaintiff can pursue a claim for harassment based on disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), clearing up any doubt regarding the Circuit’s position on the matter.  Fox v. Costco Wholesale Corp., No. 17-0936-cv (2nd Cir. March 6, 2019).  The…

In a decision that could have wide-ranging implications for all employers, the Fourth Circuit recently held that an employer’s failure to stop a false rumor that a female employee slept with her male boss to obtain a promotion, could give rise to employer liability under Title VII for gender discrimination. Parker v. Reema Consulting Services Inc., No. 18-1206 (4th Cir. Feb. 8, 2019). So now employers must police the rumor mill? This decision is confusing…

The New York City Human Rights Law prohibits employers, housing providers, and providers of public accommodations from discriminating against an individual on the basis of race. The New York City Commission on Human Rights (the “Commission”) issued guidance banning discrimination based on an individual’s hair, specifically the hair and hairstyles traditionally worn by Black people. Last year, the Supreme Court refused to hear a case filed by a Black woman whose job offer was…