Labor and Employment Law News

Worker Access to Property
The Supreme Court’s decision in Lechmere is often talked of as a blanket bar to non-employee access to an employer’s property. However, this has not proven to be the case. Recently, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals found an employer violated the National Labor Relations Act when it barred access by employees who worked at another employer facility. In this case, the off-site employees had tried to enter a parking lot to hand out pro-union handbills. The court upheld the NLRB’s decision on the grounds that the off-site employees were acting in concert with other employees to increase the power of the union and improve their wages and other working conditions. The employees therefore had a protected legal interest. The court concluded that the employer violated Sec. 8(a)(1) because the interests of the employees outweighed possible employer security or property rights concerns. The court’s decision presents an interesting analysis of the employee NLRA rights and employer property rights.
ITT Industries Inc. v. NLRB, Case No.04-1172 (D.C. Cir. June 28, 2005).

ADA Bars Pre-Hire Test Questions that Measure Applicant Personality and Mental State
Pre-hire personality testing has been a growing trend. Recently, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that using a test measures job applicants’ personality traits may violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. The test, which included the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), was used for promotion. In this case, the test could be used to diagnose psychiatric disorders. The Americans with Disabilities Act forbids administering pre-hire examinations, and the court concluded that this test was a medical examination. Karraker v.
Rent-A-Center Inc., Case No.04-2881 (7th Cir. June 14, 2005).

Web Links

Press release: New America Foundation Proposes Bold Workplace Flexibility Policy for All Working Parents and Releases Data Showing Families Running: Harder to Stay in Place http://www.newamerica.net/Download_Docs/pdfs/Doc_File_2438_1.pdf
Report: Karen Kornbluh, Win-Win Flexibility (June 30, 2005) http://www.newamerica.net/Download_Docs/pdfs/Doc_File_2436_1.pdf

Human Rights Campaign Foundation, The State of the Workplace
http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Get_Informed2&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=18879

Recent Labor and Employment Law Articles

Harold Abramson, Problem-Solving Advocacy in Mediations: A Model of Client Representation, 10 Harv. Negotiatiion L. Rev. 103 (2005)

Kerry Acocella, Note: Out with the Old and in with the New: The Second Circuit Shows It's Time for the Supreme Court to Finally Overrule McDonell Douglas, 11 Cardozo Women's L.J. 125 (2004)

Lee Alston & Bernardo Mueller, Review on Law and Employment: Lessons from Latin America and the Caribbean with an Emphasis on Brazilian Labor Institutions, 25 Comp. Lab. L. & Pol'y J. 339 (2004)

Mark Baker, "The Technology Dog Ate My Job": The Dog-eat-dog World of Offshore Labor Outsourcing, 16 Fla. J. Int'l L. 807 (2004)

Susan Bisom-Rapp, Exceeding Our Boundaries: Transnational Employment Law Practice and the Export of American Lawyering Styles to the Global Worksite, 25 Comp. Lab. L. & Pol'y J. 257 (2004)

Jeremy Blumenthal, Law and the Emotions: The Problems of Affective Forecasting, 80 Ind. L.J. 155 (2005)

Patrick Brennan, Law and Who We Are Becoming, 50 Vill. L. Rev. 189 (2005)

Jerome Bruner, Identity as Inclusion [Reviewing David Engel & Frank Munger, Rights of Inclusion: Law and Identity in the Life Stories of Americans with Disabilities], 53 Buff. L. Rev. 339 (2005)

Johnny Buckles, Reforming the Public Policy Doctrine, 53 U. Kan. L. Rev. 397 (2005)

Celestial Cassman & Lisa Pruitt, A Kinder, Gentler Law School? Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Legal Education at King Hall, 38 U.C. Davis L. Rev. 1209 (2005)

Henry Chambers, Recapturing Summary Adjudication Principles in Disparate Treatment Cases, 58 SMU L. Rev. 103 (2005)

Roger Clegg, Attacking "Diversity", 31 J.C. & U.L. 417 (2005)

Scott Cole & Matthew Bainer, Comment: To Be or Not to Be a Penalty: Defining the Recovery under California's Meal and Rest Period Provisions. 35 Golden Gate U. L. Rev. 175 (2005)

Colloquy on an Economic Theory of Infrastructure and Commons Management, 89 Minn. L. Rev. 917 (2005)

Tory Cronin, Comment: The Wrong Solution: An Examination of President Bush's Proposed Temporary Worker Program, 7 Scholar 183 (2005)

Matthew Daiker, No J.D. Required: The Critical Role and Contributions of Non-lawyer Mediators, 24 Rev. Litig. 499 (2005)

Lindsay Dickerson, Book Note: "Your Wife Should Handle It": The Implicit Messages of the Family and Medical Leave Act [Reviewing Susan Douglas & Meredith Michaels, The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How it Has Undermined Women], 25 B.C. Third World L.J. 429 (2005)

Kenneth Davis, Age Discrimination and Disparate Impact: A New Look at an Age-Old Problem, 70 Brook. L. Rev. 361 (2004/2005)

George Dent, Race, Trust, Altruism, and Reciprocity, 39 U. Rich. L. Rev. 1001 (2005)

Peter Edelman, Where Race Meets Class: The 21st Century Civil Rights Agenda, 12 Geo. J. on Poverty L. & Pol'y 1 (2005)

Sebastian Edwards, Labor Reform and Employment in Latin America. 25 Comp. Lab. L. & Pol'y J. 349 (2004)

James Forman, From Martin Luther King to Bill Cosby: Race and Class in the Twenty-Frst Century, 50 Vill. L. Rev. 213 (2005)

Paul Frantz, International Employment: Antidiscrimination Law Should Follow Employees Abroad, 14 Minn. J. Global Trade 227 (2005)

Marlaina Freisthler & Mark Godsey, Going Home to Stay: A Review of Collateral Consequences of Conviction, Post-incarceration Employment, and Recidivism in Ohio, 36 U. Tol. L. Rev. 525 (2005)

Sally Galati, Note: The ERISA Hokey-Pokey: You Put Your Top Hat In, You Put Your Top Hat Out, 5 Nev. L.J. 587 (2004/05)

Brian Gates, Note: A "Less Stringent" Standard? How to Give FLSA Section 16(b) a Life of its Own, 80 Notre Dame L. Rev. 1519 (2005)

T. H. Gindling & Katherine Terrell, Minimum Wages, Inequality, and Globalization, 26 Mich. J. Int'l L. 245 (2004)

Michael Goldsmith, Reforming the Civil Rights Act of 1871: The Problem of Policy Perjury, 80 Notre Dame L. Rev. 1259 (2005)

Daniel Gordon, Comment: Symptoms for Scalia and Texas: Gay Rights and American Nationalism, 35 Golden Gate U. L. Rev. 111 (2005)

Naveen Gurudevan, Comment: An Evaluation of Current Legitimacy-Based Objections to Nafta's Chapter 11 Investment Dispute Resolution Process, 6 San Diego Int'l L.J. 399 (2005)

Grant Hayden, The Supreme Court and Voting Rights: A More Complete Exit Strategy, 83 N.C. L. Rev. 949 (2005).

Michael Hayes, Improving Security Through Reducing Employee Rights, 10 Ius Gentium 55 (2004)

Camille Hebert, The Disparate Impact of Sexual Harassment: Does Motive Matter? 53 U. Kan. L. Rev. 341 (2005)

Jonathan Hiatt & Deborah Greenfield, The Importance of Core Labor Rights in World Development, 26 Mich. J. Int'l L. 39 (2004)

Rebecca Hillock, Comment: Establishing the Rights of Women Globally: Has the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women Made a Difference? 12 Tulsa J. Comp. & Int'l L. 481 (2005)

Andrew Hirth, Note: We Were Only Teasing: The Eighth Circuit Misses the Quintessence of Hostile Work Environment Claims under the ADA, 70 Mo. L. Rev. 253 (2005)

Geoffrey Hoffman, Critique, Culture and Commitment: The Dangerous and Counterproductive Paths of International Legal Discourse, 29 Nova L. Rev. 211 (2005)

Pratibha Jain, Balancing Minority Rights and Gender Justice: The Impact of Protecting Multiculturalism on Women's Rights in India, 23 Berkeley J. Int'l L. 201 (2005)

Kevin Johnson & Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Cry Me a River: The Limits of "A Systematic Analysis of Affirmative Action in American Law Schools", 7 Afr.-Am. L. & Pol'y Rep. 1 (2005)

Miodrag Jovanovic, Recognizing Minority Identities Through Collective Rights, 27 Hum. Rts. Q. 625 (2005)

Debbie Kaminer, The Work-Family Conflict: Developing a Model of Parental Accommodation in the Workplace, 54 Am. U. L. Rev. 305 (2004)

Eli Kay-Oliphant, Comment: Considering Race in American Immigration Jurisprudence, 54 Emory L.J. 681 (2005)

Jeff Kenner, Working Time, Jaeger and the Seven-Year Itch, 11 Colum. J. Eur. L. 53 (2004/2005)

Faye Kuo, Comment: Open and Closed: Captioning Technology as a Means to Equality, 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 159 (2004)

Matthew Lassiter, Does the Supreme Court Matter? Civil Rights and the Inherent Politicization of Constitutional Law [Reviewing Michael J. Klarman, from Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality], 103 Mich. L. Rev. 1401 (2005)

Ilhyung Lee, In re Culture: The Cross-Cultural Negotiations Course in the Law School Curriculum, 20 Ohio St. J. on Disp. Resol. 375 (2005)

Ted Lee & Leila Ben Debba, Backdoor Non-Competes in Texas: Trade Secrets, 36 St. Mary's L.J. 483 (2005)

Vicki Lens, Bureaucratic Disentitlement after Welfare Reform: Are Fair Hearings the Cure? 12 Geo. J. on Poverty L. & Pol'y 13 (2005)

Michael Leroy, Getting Nothing for Something: When Women Prevail in Employment Arbitration Awards, 16 Stan. L. & Pol'y Rev. 573 (2005)

Arno Lodder & John Zeleznikow, Developing an Online Dispute Resolution Environment: Dialogue Tools and Negotiation Support Systems in a Three-step Model, 10 Harv. Negotiation L. Rev. 287 (2005)

Anna McDowell, Comment: Reference Available upon Request: An Inequitable Rule Applied to Title VII Retaliatory Job Reference Cases, 44 Washburn L.J. 439 (2005)

Sharon Margalioth, Women, Careers, Babies: An Issue of Time or Timing? 13 UCLA Women's L.J. 293 (2005)

Kara Marshall, Recent Developments, 20 Ohio St. J. on Disp. Resol. 611 (2005)

Stacie Martin, Note: Labor Obligations in the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement, 25 Comp. Lab. L. & Pol'y J. 201 (2004)

Carrie Menkel-Meadow, The Lawyer's Role(s) in Deliberative Democracy: A Commentary by and Responses to Professor Carrie Menkel-Meadow, 5 Nev. L.J. 347 (2004/05)

Dion Messer, To: Client@workplace.com: Privilege at Risk? 23 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 75 (2004)

George Mickum & Luther Hajek, Guise, Contrivance, or Artful Dodging? The Discovery Rules Governing Testifying Employee Experts, 24 Rev. Litig. 301 (2005)

Michael Moberly, Extending a Qualified Evidentiary Privilege to Confidential Communications Between Employees and Their Union Representatives, 5 Nev. L.J. 508 (2004/05)

Michael Moffitt, Schmediation and the Dimensions of Definition, 10 Harv. Negotiation L. Rev. 69 (2005)

John O'Keefe, Note: Preserving Collective-Action Rights in Employment Arbitration, 91 Va. L. Rev. 823 (2005)

Angela Onwuachi-Willig, For Whom Does the Bell Toll: The Bell Tolls for Brown? [Reviewing Derrick Bell, Silent Covenants: Brown v. Board of Education and the Unfulfilled Hopes for Racial Reform], 103 Mich. L. Rev. 1507 (2005)

Marisa Pagnattaro, The "Helping Hand" in Trade Agreements: An Analysis of and Proposal for Labor Provisions in U.S. Free Trade Agreements, 16 Fla. J. Int'l L. 845 (2004)

Ana Perez-Arrieta, Note: Defenses to Sex-based Wage Discrimination Claims at Educational Institutions: Exploring "Equal Work" and "Any Other Factor Other than Sex" in the Faculty Context, 31 J.C. & U.L. 393 (2005)

Nancy Peters, The United Kingdom Recalibrates the U.S. National Labor Relations Act: Possible Lessons for the United States? 25 Comp. Lab. L. & Pol'y J. 227 (2004)

Catherine Pieronek, Title IX and Gender Equity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education: No Longer an Overlooked Application of the Law, 31 J.C. & U.L. 291 (2005)

Aaron Ponzo, Comment: Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act Is a Valid Exercise of Congress' Power to Abrogate State Sovereign Immunity, 43 Duq. L. Rev. 317 (2005)

Richard Posner, The Law and Economics of Contract Interpretation, 83 Tex. L. Rev. 1581 (2005)

Helen Quane, The Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Development Process, 27 Hum. Rts. Q. 652 (2005)

Jennifer Ralph, Comment: Unconscionable Mediation Clauses, 10 Harv. Negot. L. Rev. 383 (2005)

Richard Reuben, Democracy and Dispute Resolution: Systems Design and the New Workplace. 10 Harv. Negot. L. Rev. 11 (2005)

Deborah Rhode, Frivolous Litigation and Civil Justice Reform: Miscasting the Problem, Recasting the Solution, 54 Duke L.J. 447 (2004)

Kerry Rittich, The Future of Law and Development: Second Generation Reforms and the Incorporation of the Social, 26 Mich. J. Int'l L. 199 (2004)

Peter Robinson, Arthur Pearlstein & Bernard Mayer. Dyads: Encouraging "Dynamic Adaptive Dispute Systems" in the Organized Workplace, 10 Harv. Negot. L. Rev. 339 (2005)

Katheryn Russell-Brown, Black Protectionism as a Civil Rights Strategy, 53 Buff. L. Rev. 1 (2005)

Erin Ryan, The Discourse Beneath: Emotional Epistemology in Legal Deliberation and Negotiation, 10 Harv. Negotiation L. Rev. 231 (2005)

Michael Sachs, Comment: The Mystery of Title Vii: The Various Interpretations of Title VII as Applied to Homosexual Plaintiffs, 19 Wis. Women's L.J. 359 (2004)

Lisa Schonbeck, Comment: The Employee Retirement Income Security Act Preempts State Law Causes of Action Against ERISA-Regulated Benefit Plans, 43 Duq. L. Rev. 345 (2005)

Andrea Short, Discriminating among Discrimination: The Appropriateness of Treating Reverse Age Discrimination Differently from Reverse Race Discrimination, 83 N.C. L. Rev. 1065 (2005)

Sandesh Sivakumaran, The Rights of Migrant Workers One Year On: Transformation or Consolidation? 36 Geo. J. Int'l L. 113 (2004)

Aine Smith, Comment: Child Labor: The Pakistani Effort to End a Scourge upon Humanity – Is it Enough? 6 San Diego Int'l L.J. 461 (2005)

Thomas Smith, Civic Nationalism and Ethnocultural Justice in Turkey, 27 Hum. Rts. Q. 436 (2005)

William Stickman, Comment: An Exercise in Futility: Does the Inquiry Required to Apply the Ministerial Exception to Title VII Defeat its Purpose? 43 Duq. L. Rev. 285 (2005)

Cass Sunstein, Valuing Life: A Plea for Disaggregation, 54 Duke L.J. 385 (2004)

Symposium: Attrition of Women from the Legal Profession, 11 Wm. & Mary J. Women & L. 173 (2005)

Symposium: Lawyers as Activists: Achieving Social Change Through Civil Litigation, 57 Vand. L. Rev. 1975 (2004)

Symposium: Globalization, Law & Development Conference, 26 Mich. J. Int'l L. 1 (2004)

Symposium: The Eighth Annual Symposium on Legal Issues in Professional Sports,15 Fordham Intell. Prop. Media & Ent. L.J. 335 (2005)

Symposium: Free the Slaves – Hidden Slaves: Forced Labor in the United States, 23 Berkeley J. Int'l L. 47 (2005)

Joseph Tomain, Junk Economics [Reviewing Frank Ackerman and Lisa Heinzerling, Priceless: on Knowing the Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing], 93 Geo. L.J. 689 (2005)

Katarina Tomasevski, Unasked Questions about Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights from the Experience of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education (1998-2004), 27 Hum. Rts. Q. 709 (2005)

Michael Trebilcock & Robert Howse, Trade Policy & Labor Standards, 14 Minn. J. Global Trade 261 (2005)

John Vukelj, Post No Bills: Can the NBA Prohibit its Players from Wearing Tatoo Advertisements? 15 Fordham Intell. Prop. Media & Ent. L.J. 507 (2005)

Stephanie Wildman, Privilege, Gender, and the Fourteenth Amendment: Reclaiming Equal Protection of the Laws, 13 Temp. Pol. & Civ. Rts. L. Rev. 707 (2004)

Wenying Wang, The Role of Conciliation in Resolving Disputes: A P.R.C. Perspective, 20 Ohio St. J. on Disp. Resol. 421 (2005)

Timothy Ward, Note: Needing a Fix: Congress Should Amend the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to Remove a Record of Addiction as a Protected Disability, 36 Rutgers L.J. 683 (2005)

Holly Williams, Comment: Reaching Across Difference: Extending Equality's Reach to Encompass Governmental Programs That Solely Benefit Women, 13 UCLA Women's L.J. 375 (2005)

Stephen Yeazell, Brown, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Silent Litigation Revolution, 57 Vand. L. Rev. 1975 (2004)