Employment Law in a Nut Shell Nutshell

by Covington, Robert N.

• ISBN13: 9780314232359
• ISBN10: 0314232354
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-09-01
• Publisher: West Academic

Summary

The Employment Relationship; Statutory Regulation; Common Law; Constitutional Provisions; Prevention of Injury and Disease; Compensation for Injury and Disease; Privacy and Reputation; Discrimination; Collective Bargaining Rights; At-Will Employment; The Public Policy Exception; Contract Analysis; The Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing; Statutory Modifications; What Is "Good Cause" for Discharge; Unemployment Compensation; Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act; Wage and Hour Regulation; Fair Labor Standards Act; Federal Contractor Labor Standards; Portal-to-Portal Act; Garnishment Restriction; Pensions and Other Employee Benefit Programs; The Employee Retirement Income Security Act; The Family and Medical Leave Act; Old Age and Survivors Insurance; Benefits Under Social Security; Independent Contractors; Joint Employment; Successorship; "Constructive" Discharges and Quits; Employee Screening; Negligent Hiring or Retention; Genetic Screening; Reference Checks; Smoking; Alcohol and Drug Abuse; Human Immunodeficiency Virus (AIDS).

Table of Contents

Preface	iii
Table of Cases	xxi
The Developing Law of Employment	1	(34)
Introduction	1	(2)
The Employment Relationship	3	(2)
Legal Regimes Governing the Employment Relationship	5	(15)
Statutory Regulation	6	(3)
Common Law	9	(1)
Tort	9	(1)
Overview: ``Intentional'' and ``Negligent'' Wrongdoing	9	(1)
Illustrations of Work-Related Torts	10	(6)
Contracts	16	(2)
Constitutional Provisions	18	(2)
Identifying Responsible Parties: Who are ``Employers''?	20	(11)
Independent Contractors	21	(4)
Joint Employment	25	(5)
Successorship	30	(1)
The Pace of Change	31	(4)
Physical Safety	35	(86)
Prevention of Injury and Disease	35	(23)
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970	36	(1)
Scope	36	(1)
Employer Duties	37	(1)
Employee Rights and Responsibilities	38	(1)
Record Keeping	39	(4)
Enforcement	43	(2)
Proving Violations	45	(1)
General Duty Clause	45	(1)
Violation of Standard	46	(3)
Employer Defenses	49	(3)
Setting and Challenging Standards	52	(3)
The Ongoing Role of State Statutes	55	(2)
Other Federal Statutes	57	(1)
Compensation for Injury and Disease	58	(63)
Compensating Injured Workers: Historical Background	58	(1)
Overview of the Structure of Compensation and Benefit Regimes	59	(1)
Actions for Damages	60	(3)
Employer--Paid Workers' Compensation Benefits for On-the-Job Injury and Occupational Disease	63	(2)
Social Insurance Benefits for Disabled Workers	65	(1)
Vocational Rehabilitation	66	(2)
Constitutionality	68	(4)
Common Issues That Arise Under Workers' Compensation Statutes	72	(1)
Traumatic Injuries	72	(5)
Occupational Diseases	77	(1)
Employment Connection: The ``Arising'' Requirements	78	(5)
Scope of Benefits	83	(1)
Benefit Categories	83	(1)
Medical Benefits	84	(2)
Disability (Income Replacement) Benefits	86	(6)
Death Benefits	92	(1)
Rehabilitation Benefits	92	(1)
Successive Injuries: Second Injury Funds and Apportionment	93	(2)
Subrogation	95	(4)
Administration and Procedure	99	(3)
Funding	102	(1)
The Social Security Disability Insurance Program	102	(1)
Brief History	102	(1)
``Disability'' Defined	103	(3)
Benefits	106	(3)
Administration and Procedure	109	(3)
Vocational Rehabilitation	112	(1)
General Structure of the Traditional Federal-State Program	112	(1)
Eligibility	112	(1)
Services	113	(2)
Administration and Finance	115	(1)
Individual Case Procedures	116	(3)
Ticket to Work Program	119	(2)
Privacy and Reputation	121	(79)
Introduction	121	(1)
Common Law Tort Principles	122	(18)
Defamation: An Overview	124	(1)
Publication	124	(1)
Privileged Communications	125	(3)
Defamatory Character	128	(1)
Employer Fault	129	(2)
Defamation in the Context of Reference Checks	131	(3)
Invasion of Privacy	134	(6)
Statutory Protection	140	(37)
Federal Legislation	140	(2)
Freedom of Information Act	142	(2)
Privacy Act of 1974	144	(1)
Basic Analytical Pattern and Integration with FOIA	144	(1)
``Records'' and ``Record Systems''	145	(2)
Limits on Collecting Information	147	(1)
Limits on Disclosure	147	(1)
Rights of Persons Who Are Subjects of Records	148	(5)
Fair Credit Reporting Act	153	(5)
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act	158	(6)
Mail Tampering	164	(1)
Employee Polygraph Protection Act	165	(7)
The Drug--Free Workplace Act	172	(2)
Americans With Disabilities Act	174	(1)
State Legislation	175	(2)
Constitutional Protections	177	(23)
Federal Constitution	178	(2)
First Amendment	180	(7)
Fourth Amendment	187	(5)
Fifth Amendment	192	(2)
Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments	194	(2)
State Constitutions	196	(4)
Discrimination	200	(60)
Introduction	200	(1)
Sources of Bans on Discrimination	201	(4)
Federal Constitutional Protections	205	(4)
Statutory Bans: Proving Discrimination Under Title VII and the ADEA	209	(19)
Covered Parties	209	(1)
Prohibited Conduct	210	(2)
Disparate Treatment	212	(1)
Individual Claims	212	(3)
Group Claims	215	(5)
Harassment	220	(3)
Pregnancy	223	(1)
Disparate Impact	224	(1)
Title VII	224	(3)
The Age Discrimination Act and Disparate Impact Theory	227	(1)
Statutory Bans: Defenses Under Title VII and the ADEA	228	(8)
Bona Fide Occupational Qualification	229	(2)
Section 703(h)	231	(3)
Waivers	234	(1)
Affirmative Action Plans	235	(1)
Statutory Bans: Procedural Requirements for Title VII and ADEA Claimants	236	(5)
Statutory Bans: Remedies for Violations of Title VII and the ADEA	241	(2)
Statutory Bans: Equal Pay Act	243	(2)
Statutory Bans: The Post-Civil War Civil Rights Acts	245	(2)
Statutory Bans: Americans with Disabilities Act and Rehabilitation Act of 1973	247	(11)
``Qualified Individual with a Disability''	247	(5)
Reasonable Accommodation (including Undue Hardship)	252	(1)
Interaction with Other Statutes	253	(2)
XIth Amendment Impact	255	(1)
Medical Examinations	256	(2)
Statutory Bans: Title IX	258	(2)
Individual Rights in the Collective Rights Context	260	(63)
Introduction	260	(1)
Common Law Background	260	(4)
Private Sector Regulation	264	(47)
Federal Regulation	264	(1)
National Labor Relations Act: Wagner Act, Taft-Hartley Act and Landrum-Griffin Act	264	(1)
Substantive Rights and ``Unfair Labor Practices''	265	(6)
Procedures in Representation Cases and Unfair Labor Practice Cases	271	(3)
Preemption	274	(1)
Impact on Individual Rights	275	(1)
Unfair Labor Practices Affecting Individual Rights	276	(1)
Surveillance	277	(2)
Discrimination	279	(4)
Investigatory Interviews	283	(2)
Union Unfair Practices	285	(4)
Union-Management Information Exchanges	289	(5)
Rights Under Collective Bargaining Agreements: Grievance Procedures, Mediation and Arbitration	294	(1)
Collective Bargaining Agreements as a Source of Individual Employee Rights	294	(1)
Grievance Systems and Arbitration	295	(2)
Judicial Enforcements of Promises to Arbitrate and of Arbitration Awards Under Collective Bargaining Agreements	297	(2)
Applying the Duty of Fair Representation to the Handling of Grievances	299	(2)
Effect of Enforcing Rights Under Collective Agreement on Enforcing Other Legal Claims	301	(2)
Railway Labor Act	303	(4)
Impact of Federal Arbitration Act	307	(3)
State Regulation	310	(1)
Public Sector Regulation	311	(12)
Federal Employees	311	(9)
State and Local Government Employees	320	(3)
Termination of Employment	323	(70)
Introduction	323	(1)
At-Will Employment	323	(31)
The Traditional Concept	323	(7)
Judicial Modifications	330	(1)
The Public Policy Exception	330	(5)
Contract Analysis: Establishing What the Parties Have Promised	335	(1)
Employment Contracts	335	(3)
Handbooks and Employment Policy Documents	338	(7)
The Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing	345	(1)
Statutory Modifications	346	(1)
Current Protections	346	(3)
Possible Future Modifications	349	(5)
What is ``Good Cause'' for Termination?	354	(7)
``Constructive'' Terminations and Quits	361	(1)
Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act	362	(9)
Scope	362	(1)
Coverage	363	(3)
Content and Timing of Notification	366	(2)
Exemptions	368	(1)
Good Faith Defense	369	(1)
Liability	369	(2)
Post-Termination Obligations of Employees: Duties of Loyalty and Restrictive Covenants	371	(10)
Trade Secrets and Other Confidential Information	372	(3)
Restrictive Covenants	375	(2)
Protection of ``Legitimate Business Interests''	377	(1)
Consideration for Restrictive Covenants	377	(2)
Scope	379	(2)
Unemployment Compensation	381	(12)
General Structure	381	(2)
Eligibility for Benefits	383	(1)
Disqualification	384	(7)
Procedure	391	(2)
Wage and Hour Regulation	393	(30)
Introduction	393	(2)
Federal Regulation	395	(26)
Fair Labor Standards Act	395	(1)
Scope and Background	395	(2)
Coverage: The Three Coverage Formulas	397	(5)
Exemptions from Coverage	402	(1)
Measuring Compliance	403	(2)
Determining the workweek	405	(1)
Determining the number of hours worked	405	(1)
Calculating what ``wages'' have been paid	406	(2)
Deciding whether the minimum wage has been paid	408	(1)
Deciding whether the overtime premium has been properly paid	409	(5)
Remedies	414	(2)
Federal Contractor Labor Standards	416	(3)
Portal-to-Portal Act	419	(1)
Garnishment Restriction	420	(1)
State Regulation	421	(2)
Pensions and Other Employee Benefit Programs	423	(48)
Introduction	423	(1)
Employee Retirement Income Security Act	424	(34)
Scope and Purpose	424	(1)
Structure of the Statute	424	(2)
Tax Benefits Associated With ``Qualified'' ERISA Plans	426	(3)
Coverage	429	(2)
Administration and Enforcement	431	(2)
Rights and Duties Under Title I	433	(1)
Information	433	(2)
Pension Plan Contents and Standards	435	(4)
Fund Contributions	439	(1)
Fund Management and Fiduciary Responsibilities	440	(6)
Benefit Claims	446	(1)
Discrimination	447	(2)
Terminating and Modifying Plans	449	(2)
Preemption	451	(7)
Family and Medical Leave Act	458	(5)
Old Age and Survivors Insurance	463	(8)
Benefits Under Social Security	463	(1)
Eligibility	463	(2)
Benefit Payment and Computation	465	(2)
Earnings Record and Liability for Taxes	467	(3)
Review of Denied Claims	470	(1)
Current Issues	471	(37)
Introduction	471	(1)
Employee Screening	472	(7)
Negligent Hiring or Retention	473	(3)
Genetic Screening	476	(3)
Smoking	479	(6)
Alcohol and Drug Abuse	485	(9)
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)	494	(7)
Alternative Dispute Resolution	501	(7)
Employment Law Remedies	508	(23)
Introduction	508	(1)
Remedy and Damage Theories: The Purposes of Remedies	509	(7)
Common Law Tort Remedies	509	(2)
Common Law Contract Remedies	511	(3)
Statutory Remedies	514	(2)
Remedies Available Only to Employees or Prospective Employees	516	(4)
Back Pay	516	(1)
Front Pay	516	(1)
Fringe Benefits	517	(1)
Reinstatement	517	(3)
Remedies Available to Both Employees and Employers	520	(3)
Injunctions	520	(1)
Punitive Damages	520	(1)
Attorneys' Fees	521	(1)
Liquidated Damages	522	(1)
Remedy Award Limitations	523	(8)
The Duty To Mitigate Damages	523	(1)
Limits on Availability of Equitable Remedies	524	(2)
Deductions, Caps & Offsets	526	(1)
Tax Considerations	527	(4)
Index	531