Seize the opportunity to offer accommodations for medical treatments

A Mississippi home healthcare provider has agreed to a $100,000 settlement with the EEOC for a disability-discrimination lawsuit. The EEOC’s press release offers the key facts of the case:

EEOC brought suit on behalf of Kristy Sones, a former Mississippi HomeCare employee, who suffered an epileptic seizure while working at the facility. Returning to work following her seizure, Sones requested an accommodation to help her perform certain job-related computer tasks--tasks she was having difficulty completing because of the temporary side effects of her seizure medication.  The lawsuit alleges that Mississippi HomeCare ignored Sones’ request, failed to engage in an interactive process to discuss reasonable accommodations, and provided no accommodation. Mississippi HomeCare then terminated Sones less than a month after her request for an accommodation.

According to EEOC Birmingham District Director, “We hope this resolution will be a lesson to companies of the importance of engaging in an individualized interactive process to determine whether a disabled employee must be accommodated under the ADA.” This duty to consider reasonable accommodations does not just include an employee’s medical condition, but also any medications an employee is taking to treat that medical condition. Omitting this consideration can have expensive consequences, as this case illustrates.

Another viewpoint on overtime for undocumented work time

In Garcia v. SAR Food of Ohio, an Ohio federal court rejected an employer’s attempt to dismiss an off-the-clock wage-and-hour claim, because, even though the plaintiff had not reported un-clocked as “working time,” a fact issue existed over whether the employer should have known that the employee was nevertheless performing such work without compensation.

Now, an Illinois federal court has considered nearly the identical issue, a reached the opposite result. In Roberts v. Advocate Health Care, a nurse alleged that she had worked between 8 and 12 hours of unpaid overtime each week. Her employer, however, argued that she was responsible for submitting her own timesheets and that it paid her consistent with her own written representations as to how many hours she worked each week.

The federal court rejected the employee’s counter-argument that “she was performing uncompensated overtime work,” and that her supervisor, Magurany, “knew or should have known about that work,” and dismissed this off-the-clock claim.

Magurany supervised between 45 to 50 employees in multiple departments. Roberts contends that when Magurany reviewed employee time cards, she should have noticed that Roberts' time cards did not reflect time spent at the alleged post-shift meetings. This constructive knowledge argument is speculative. It rests on three assumptions: (1) Magurany knew that Roberts was off the clock during the purported post-shift meetings; (2) Magurany knew that Roberts routinely failed to correct her time cards to reflect time spent at those meetings; and (3) when Magurany reviewed Roberts' time cards at a later date, she was able to detect that Roberts' time cards shorted Roberts for time spent at the meetings…. The fact that something is theoretically possible is not enough to create a triable issue of fact….

This is especially true given that Advocate had multiple mechanisms by which employees could correct their time. Roberts used these mechanisms on multiple other occasions….

Moreover, Roberts never provided actual notice by complaining to Magurany or any other supervisor about any of the unpaid overtime she now claims that she worked….

How does an employer reconcile Garcia and Roberts within its own pay practices? The short answer is that you don’t. Different courts often reach different results on similar issues, and, until higher courts pass judgment, the issue remains unsettled. For now, if you are in Northern Ohio, Garcia is your controlling precedent and you need to pay if you know, or should know, of the undocumented work time. If you want to take a more aggressive stance and challenge the issue, you have Roberts on which to hang your hat. That challenge, however, will raise the issue of whether you are committing a willful violation of the FLSA (with its longer statute of limitations and liquidated damages) by intentionally withholding pay from an employee you know has performed work. The safer course of action is the Garcia holding, which is the path down which I would guide you.

NLRB, college athletes, and the case that doesn’t really matter

Yesterday, the NLRB closed its book on the attempt of Northwestern University’s scholarship football players to unionize, not with a thud but with a whimper. The NLRB unanimously passed on the issue of whether college athletes are “employees”, and instead held that the NLRB lacked jurisdiction to consider the petition because the inherent nature of college sports is antithetical to the purposes served by the NLRA:

[W]e have determined that, even if the scholarship players were statutory employees (which, again, is an issue we do not decide), it would not effectuate the policies of the Act to assert jurisdiction. Our decision is primarily premised on a finding that, because of the nature of sports leagues (namely the control exercised by the leagues over the individual teams) and the composition and structure of FBS football (in which the overwhelming majority of competitors are public colleges and universities over which the Board cannot assert jurisdiction), it would not promote stability in labor relations to assert jurisdiction in this case.

The Board has never asserted jurisdiction, or even been asked to assert jurisdiction, in a case involving scholarship football players or similarly situated individuals, and … we decline to do so in this case. Processing a petition for the scholarship players at this single institution under the circumstances presented here would not promote stability in labor relations. Moreover, recent changes, as well as calls for additional reforms, suggest that the situation of scholarship players may well change in the near future. For these reasons…, even if the scholarship players were statutory employees (which the Board does not here decide), we have concluded that it will not effectuate the policies of the Act to assert jurisdiction in this case.

What does this case mean? Frankly, very little. It’s a huge story because the implications of an opposite ruling would have irreparably changed the nature of college sports. As it stands, the case maintains the status quo, without ruling on the key issue of private-college-athletes-as-employees. Thus, while this opinion has garnered tons of news coverage (Wall Street Journal, New York Times, ESPN), at the end of the day, its just not that big of a deal.

What’s next on the issue of “employee” at the NLRB? The McDonald’s case, which almost certainly will decide whether a franchisor is a (joint-)employer of its franchisee’s employee, and will likely be (one of the) biggest cases of 2015.

You can download a pdf of the Northwestern University opinion here.

12 things I learned on my summer vacation

I spent the last two weeks in Europe. Germany to be exact, and to be more precise, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, with jaunts to Paris and Munich. It was a dream holiday, spent visiting, and touring with, our German daughter (an exchange student who lived with us two years ago) and her family. With 16 days of vacation behind me, here is what I learned:

1. I have very resilient kids. We walked, a lot. According to my iPhone health app, we walked between 8 and 12 miles per day. And my kiddos (ages 7 and 9) went along for the ride, with very few complaints, all things considered.

A photo posted by Jon Hyman (@jonhyman) on Aug 12, 2015 at 10:56am PDT

2. I know the answer to the question, “How many steps does that church tower have?” We climbed Sacré Coeur in Paris, Notre Dame in Strasbourg, St. Peter in Munich, and the Perlach Tower in Augsburg, and each has 300 steps (give or take). A few pointers. Yes, the views are worth it, always. And, if the bell tower happens to be a working bell tower, the bells are loud (especially, as was the case in Augsburg, when you summit at high noon).

3. Europe is basically one big pastry shop. If it wasn’t for the fact that Europeans walk everywhere (see #1), they’d all weigh 400 pounds from the immense amount of carbs they consume in pastry form. Then again, when those pastries are les macarons at Ladurée on the Champs-Élysées, you don’t really care.

A photo posted by Jon Hyman (@jonhyman) on Aug 7, 2015 at 7:24am PDT

4. Every restaurant should be equipped with a playground. And I’m not talking about a McDonald’s playland, but a bona fide playground that will genuinely entertain the kids while the adults enjoy their meals. Such was the case at the biergarten we visited outside of Munich with our hosts’ family and friends. Also, the world would be a better place if we more often embraced the notion that the language of play is universal.

5. The Eiffel Tower is always beautiful. Yes, it’s touristy. And, yes, it’s magnificent, at day or at night, from the top, from the bottom, or from a distance.

A photo posted by Jon Hyman (@jonhyman) on Aug 5, 2015 at 11:22am PDT

6. The best part of vacations often are unplanned. Whether it’s an expected drive through an Austrian Alps lake, an impromptu classical music dance party in a Munich garden, or a photo-bomb that wasn’t meant to be videoed in slo-mo.

A video posted by Jon Hyman (@jonhyman) on Aug 10, 2015 at 2:02pm PDT

7. German beer is awesome. In this case, bigger really is better.

8. German BBQ is the real deal. One half of our hosts, Michael, loves to cook American barbecue. And he can slow-cook some damn fine fall-off-the-bone ribs. I had to travel all the way to Germany for some of the best barbecue I’ve ever had. Yes, we also ate schnitzel and sausages, and, yes, it was awesome too.

9. Europe is easy to navigate, even if you only speak English. Yet, by the end of our fortnight I had gained enough confidence to navigate shops and the grocery store on my own, more or less in German. Also, we found the Parisians to be extremely patient with our French and English, as long as you started with a “bonjour” and showed an effort. My daughter, on the other hand, was more than happy to show off her 4 years of French by ordering food in restaurants, asking for help, and even making confession at Notre Dame, all en français. Quick tip: If you’re driving in Germany, “Ausfahrt” means “exit”; it’s not the most popular city name in Germany.

10. Fast is fast, no matter where you are. I love the no-speed-limit German autobahn, and the 190 mph TGV we took to Paris. Very cool to travel that fast on land.

11. Gracious hosts and good friends make everything better. I was so worried that our European vacation could not live up to the hype I had built up in my brain. I’m happy to report it blew the roof off the expectations. I was sad to leave Germany after an awesome two weeks, and could have stayed much longer. Thanks Michael Jung, Karin Jung, Alexa Jung, and, of course, our German daughter, Zarah Jung, for being amazing hosts and tour guides. While all of the experiences, sights, touring, and eating were great, the best part of the trip was getting to know the rest of the Jungs better. Thanks again for everything. We will miss you, and we can’t wait for our next adventure.

12. Employees need vacations. I’ve always been a strong believer in vacations. The past two weeks convinced me of their need for all employees. I will return to work recharged and rejuvenated. You should encourage your employees to take vacations and do the same. How do you accomplish this goal?

• Make a meaningful vacation benefit available for all employees.
• Do not permit employees to roll-over unused vacation days. This benefit, should be use-it-or-lose-it. Otherwise, you risk employees not using it on an annual basis.
• Allow employees to disconnect while on vacation. A vacation will not achieve its therapeutic goal if employees are required to check in via email or participate in conference calls. If your workplace is not sufficiently cross trained, and your employees are not team players, to permit this level of disconnection, then you have bigger problems you need to address.
• Set an example from the top. How many of your executives and managers say, “I haven’t taken a real vacation in two years.”? If this is the case, you need to take a step back, relax, and book some bona fide time off, ASAP.

WIRTW #377 (the “…all I ever wanted” edition)

According to Nielsen Consumer Research, over the past year 52% of people did not take all their paid vacation days, leaving an average of 7.2 days unused. Why aren’t these “work martyrs” using vacation time? According to The Project: Time Off Coalition:

• 40% fear the mountain of work they’ll face when they return to work.
• 35% believe they are the only ones who can do their jobs.
• 25% do not want to risk losing their jobs or fear being seen as replaceable while on vacation.

Readers, I will not be one of those people. Today’s post in the last you’ll read until I return from my German holiday on August 17. I will be, more or less, off the grid enjoying my time off. I’ll try not to over-share vacation stories and pictures when I return.

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In the meantime, the ABA Journal has opened nominations for this year’s Blawg 100, which has honored me with inclusion for the past five years. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read at my blawg (or others), click here and nominate. I’ve already submitted my nominations, as the Labor & Employment Blawgosphere has a wealth of worthy blawgs from which to choose. The nomination deadline is August 16.

Also worth mentioning is The Expert Institute’s Best Legal Blog Contest, which is also soliciting nominations for legal blogs across seven different categories, including Labor and Employment. Nomination close August 21.

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Until August 17, Auf Wiedersehen.

Here’s the rest of what I read this week:

Discrimination

• Discrimination v. Reality — via Heather Bussing at HR Examiner with John Sumser
• 7 Myths About the Americans With Disabilities Act — via Inc.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act at 25 — via Walter Olson’s Overlawyered
• ADA at 25 — via Understanding the Americans with Disability Act
• The Limits To Accommodating Mental Illness In The Workplace — via Eric Meyer’s The Employer Handbook Blog
• Employment law autopsy: “Old fart” gets fired — via Robin Shea’s Employment & Labor Insider
• Retaliation claims can sink an employer — via EmployerLINC
• Class-y Look: Abercrombie’s Look Policy Under Attack … Again — via All in a Day’s Work
• Is Your Paternity Leave Policy Discriminatory? — via Employment Discrimination Report

Social Media & Workplace Technology

• The Internet of Things That Eavesdrop and Invade Privacy — via Augmented Legality
• 6th Cir.: No Reasonable Expectation of Privacy in “Pocket-Dial” — via Phil Miles’s Lawffice Space
• Mötley Crüe frontman settles suit over Facebook password — via ABA Journal Daily News
• One Answer to Company Data Breaches: Better Employee Engagement — via TLNT
• Don’t Ignore YouTube When Marketing Your Law Firm Online — via Technologist

HR & Employee Relations

• When Your Model Employee Isn’t Anymore — via Dan Schwartz’s Connecticut Employment Law Blog
• On Tom Brady and Getting Caught Breaking a Rule at Work…— via The HR Capitalist, Kris Dunn
• “It’s not me, it’s you!” Seinfeld lessons on candid employee evaluations — via EntertainHR
• Finding a Perfect Work-Life Balance Is Impossible, and That’s Okay — via Lifehacker
• 7 Tips for Investigating Workplace Complaints — via In House
• Is Employee “Free Speech” A Constitutional Right? — via Minnesota Employer
• How Obama Could Make a Little Box on Job Applications a Very Big Deal — via Lindsay Blakely at Inc.

Wage & Hour

• Checking Your Email at Home Isn’t Exactly What I Would Call “Working” — via TLNT
• A Beginner’s Guide to Your Company’s Employee Stock Plans — via Lifehacker
• Can Au Pairs Legally Be Paid Less Than $5 An Hour? — via Workplace Fairness
• Can Employers Offer Compensatory Time to Exempt Employees? — via Wage & Hour Insights
• Can Au Pairs Legally Be Paid Less Than $5 An Hour? — via Workplace Fairness

Labor Relations

• Think Salaries Are Confidential? Google Found Out They Aren’t — via Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas
• Lessons We Learned In Winning A Union Election Under the NLRB’s New Rules — via Hunton Employment & Labor Law Perspectives™
• Will Labor Issues Figure Prominently in the 2016 Campaign Season? — via Labor Relations Institute
• Effects of NLRB’s Adoption of “Quickie Election” Rules — via The National Law Review
• Washington Court Dismisses Challenge to NLRB’s Ambush Election Rules — via Management Memo
• NLRB Removes Blanket Exemption on Mandatory Disclosure for Witness Statements. What’s an Employer To Do? — via Employment Matters Blog

Even lone-wolf activity is concerted, according to NLRB

Bonus post today.

We know that the National Labor Relations Act protects employees who engage in protected concerted activity from retaliation. How broadly defined is concerted? According to 200 East 81st Restaurant Corp. [pdf], decided yesterday by the NLRB, concerted is defined pretty broadly.

The issue in 200 East 81st Restaurant Corp. was whether a single employee who files a lawsuit, ostensibly on behalf of himself and other employees, engages in protected concerted activity. The Board answered the question in the affirmative, holding that a lone plaintiff can engage in protected concerted activity via the filing of a lawsuit in which the employees seeks to vindicate the rights of his co-workers:

“By definition, such an action is predicated on a statute that grants rights to the employee’s coworkers, and it seeks to make the employee the representative of his colleagues for the purpose of asserting their claims, in addition to his own. Plainly, the filing of the action contemplates—and may well lead to—active or effective group participation by employees in the suit, whether by opting in, by not opting out, or by otherwise permitting the individual employee to serve as a representative of his coworkers….” (Quoting Murphy Oil USA, Inc. [pdf]).

Specifically, we hold that the filing of an employment-related class or collective action by an individual employee is an attempt to initiate, to induce, or to prepare for group action and is therefore conduct protected by Section 7.

Thus, as long as the intent of the lone-wolf employee is to “initiate, induce, or prepare for group action,” the lone-wolf action is concerted under Section 7.

This case has implications beyond a wage-and-hour collective action. Consider, for example, a lone employee who seeks injunctive relief in court for some work-related issue. Or, perhaps more practically, consider an employee who takes to his or her social network of choice to grip about work, yet receives no comments or replies from co-workers. Under the (il)logic of 200 East 81st Restaurant Corp., if the employee’s social-media posts are for the purpose of initiating, inducing, or preparing for group action, they are protected.

Since social media is, well, social, one could argue that any post written on social media has a group component. After all, Facebook, Twitter, etc., aren’t diaries or self-conversations. They are intended dialogues within one’s network, or with the public at-large. Thus, has 200 East 81st Restaurant Corp. killed any argument against a finding of concerted activity on social media? A fair reading of this case would lead one to that unfortunate conclusion.

You need to pay employees if you know, or should know, they are working overtime

Consider Garcia v. SAR Food of Ohio (N.D. Ohio 7/6/15) a cautionary tale.

SAR owns and operates food-court Japanese restaurants. The court previously certified a state-wide collective action for employees who were not paid for post-shift overtime. The named plaintiffs alleged that they were often required to stay past the scheduled end of their shifts, without compensation, to clean or serve expected waves of potential customers. SAR argued that the claims could not proceed because it maintains a policy that requires employees to check their weekly time records, manually enter any changes, and sign off on the records as correct. If the employees had followed that procedure, SAR argued, they would have been paid for all overtime. Indeed, as the court noted, many employees admitted that when they followed this procedure, SAR paid them for the time worked beyond their scheduled shift.

Nevertheless, the district court refused to dismiss the claims, concluding, “Although Plaintiffs did not follow established procedures that allowed Plaintiffs to claim added overtime pay, genuine issues of material fact remain as to whether Defendant SAR Food nonetheless knew or should have known that Plaintiffs were not being properly paid for all hours worked.” In explaining its rationale, the court quoted from the FLSA’s regulations:

[I]t is the duty of management to exercise its control and see that the work is not performed if it does not want it to be performed. It cannot sit back and accept the benefits without compensating for them. The mere promulgation of a rule against such work is not enough. Management has the power to enforce the rule and must make every effort to do so.

Employers, you cannot turn a blind eye to your working employees. If you know, or should know, that employees are working “off-the-clock,” or otherwise working without compensation, you must pay them. Your remedy is disciplining the employees for performing unauthorized work, or otherwise not following your procedures for reporting working time or scheduling overtime. As this case illustrates, if you fail to pay under these circumstances, you are taking a huge wage-and-hour risk.