From the archives: The art of the apology

I’ve been thinking all weekend whether to write about Donald Trump’s 2005 hot mic embarrassment, and, if so, what I’d write about. After all, I’ve already recently written about plagiarism and your b.s. meter in the wake of Melania Trump’s RNC speech, victim blaming sexual harassment victims in the wake of Donald Trump’s comments about his hope for his daughter’s reaction to workplace harassment, and, perhaps most critically, the importance of discourse in setting appropriate tones and modeling appropriate conduct in the workplace and beyond.

Then I saw Mr. Trump’s non-apology, and I had my theme.

WIRTW #433 (the "I feel love" edition)

Today, I thought I’d share some recent love the blog has received around the interweb.

First up, Feedspot’s Top 100 Legal Blogs, which ranks yours truly at number 34 overall, and the top labor and employment law blog.

Next, Northeast Ohio’s ERC, which included me on its recent list of the Best HR Blogs (as the lone legal blog).

Third, Justipedia, which lists me as one of the Top Employment/Labor Attorneys to Follow on Twitter.

Finally, The Expert Institute nominated the blog as one of 2016’s best litigation blogs. If you’re inclined, you can even jump over and vote to move me up the list.

Thank you to each of these resources for including me. Each contains a plethora of blogs and tweeters that are worth checking out. I know I found some new resources to follow, and I’m confident you will too.

NLRB takes one on the chin in appellate decision

I am no fan of the NLRB and its aggressive agenda over the past few years. And, it appears I don’t stand alone.

Check out these scathing words from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in Heartland Plymouth Court MI v. NLRB [pdf], in which the appellate court ordered the NLRB to pay the employer’s $17,649 in legal fees for the Board’s bad faith litigation by continuing to pursue a case that the NLRB knew it could not win. Why? Because the NLRB’s position ran counter to the law of every single appellate court.

Don’t ignore unpaid leaves as a reasonable accommodation

Two recent EEOC lawsuits (here and here) illustrate the risk employers continue to take when they deny unpaid leaves of absence to employees as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA.

http://dilbert.com/strip/2015-10-21

EEOC lawsuit highlights risk of dealing with prescription medications in the workplace

There is no doubt that prescription-pain-medication abuse is a rampant problem in America. Indeed, this week the State of Ohio even went so far as to limit the ability of an injured worker to receive reimbursements for pain meds from the state workers’ compensation fund.

So, what then does one make of this story from Employment Law 360, describing a recent lawsuit the EEOC filed against Georgia medical practice?

Why the DOL’s federal contractor paid sick leave rules matter for all employers

Last week, the Department of Labor rolled out its final regulations mandating paid sick leave for the employees of federal contractors. According to the DOL, Once fully implemented, more than one million employees of federal contractors will be covered. At the highest of levels, the rule mandates that covered workers earn up to 56 hours (7 work days) of paid sick leave annually. Notably, the rule does not apply retroactively, and only applies to new federal contracts and replacements for expiring contracts on or after January 1, 2017.

WIRTW #432 (the "Hotel Norha" edition)

This what one’s happy place looks like

Jack White month comes to an end with a few clips from Norah’s most excellent School of Rock “Many Shades of Jack White” show. She was asked to do a lot in this show. Of the 19 songs in the set, she sang lead on 9 (including Hotel Yorba, in which sang and played guitar), guitar on another, and background vocals on 3 more. That’s a .684 batting percentage, which is a whole bunch for a 10 year old to carry on her shoulders. And she totally killed it (not that I’m biased).

Two things stand out for me. First, I love when Norah gets to sing and play guitar simultaneously, which she did on one of my all time favorites, Hotel Yorba. Secondly, I love how Norah is no longer just on stage singing or playing some songs, but is transitioning into an entertainer, cognizant of the fact she is, in fact, putting on a show for an audience.

Judge for yourself. Here’s the best 14:03 from the shows.


Here’s what I read this week.