Detroit Employment Law Blog

Landmark court decision protects transgender people in workplace

On behalf of Sterling Attorneys at Law, P.C. posted in Workplace Discrimination on Thursday, July 2, 2020.

In a landmark decision with origins in Michigan, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that a federal civil rights law protects LGBTQ employees. In essence, employers cannot fire or discriminate against someone for being transgender or gay.

The high-profile case centered on Aimee Stephens, a funeral director at Harris Funeral Homes in the Detroit area. Stephens worked there for six years, but when she disclosed to her employer and co-workers in 2013 that she would "live and work full-time as a woman," she was fired two weeks later.

Spotlight now on companies’ efforts to promote culture change

On behalf of Sterling Attorneys at Law, P.C. posted in Workplace Discrimination on Friday, June 12, 2020.

Fundamental fairness and evenhanded policies toward all employees have always been aspirational goals of companies in Michigan and across the country

Candidly, some enterprises do better than others.

Can an employer demand a prospective worker's social media passwords?

On behalf of Sterling Attorneys at Law, P.C. posted in Workplace Discrimination on Wednesday, June 10, 2020.

Many readers of this blog post might reasonably have a quick and strongly adverse reaction when they contemplate its above-posed headline query.

Wrong is wrong, and such an employer demand of a would-be hire going through the application process seems, well, deeply off base.

High-profile MSP whistleblower claim, lawsuit settles

On behalf of Sterling Attorneys at Law, P.C. posted in Whistleblowers on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

Some work-linked discrimination claims are grounded in accusations of sexism. Others allege discriminatory treatment based on race. Many disaffected employees point to illegal behaviors spawned by a hostile work environment.

One just-settled Michigan lawsuit spotlights all three.

Discrimination-based termination: doing something about it

On behalf of Sterling Attorneys at Law, P.C. posted in Employment Contracts on Tuesday, May 19, 2020.

You might be an employee who can just sense it. Supervisors and work team leads who used to be friendly and inclusionary are now aloof and chilly in their interactions. Work duties that have long been yours are now being peeled away and assumed by co-workers. You used to chair certain meetings that you are no longer even invited to. The exemplary ratings you are accustomed to now feature numbers linked with subpar performance.

What’s going on?

Whistleblower case spotlights Michigan nurses’ concerns

On behalf of Sterling Attorneys at Law, P.C. posted in Whistleblowers on Tuesday, May 12, 2020.

Justin Howe says he has absolutely “no regrets.”

Howe’s comment comes via his status as a recently fired Michigan nurse long employed at Hackley Hospital in Muskegon.

Will your employment contract be ideal when first presented to you?

On behalf of Sterling Attorneys at Law, P.C. posted in Employment Contracts on Tuesday, May 5, 2020.

Any managerial level job applicant in Michigan or nationally who is handed a contract that is flatly exemplary in every aspect likely flashes on the same thought.

That is this: I will happily work for this employer forever.

Proposed bill would require accommodations for pregnant employees

On behalf of Sterling Attorneys at Law, P.C. posted in Employees' Rights on Friday, May 1, 2020.

When you get pregnant, you know you need to take care of yourself to protect your child. You take vitamins, eat healthily and try to avoid situations that cause too much stress. But if your employer doesn't respect your need for accommodations, you may find yourself unable to continue working.

In Michigan, employers must give you 12 weeks of unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. But there is no current law that requires them to make things easier for you at work. However, a proposed bipartisan federal bill might change that.

Michigan auto giants throw weight behind LGBTQ measure

On behalf of Sterling Attorneys at Law, P.C. posted in Workplace Discrimination on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.

Michigan legislators passed the seminal Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act more than 40 years ago as a supplementary and clarifying measure to federal safeguards against discrimination.

The Michigan law – which has been amended many times since its 1977 enactment – extends protections in the realm of education, housing, employment and public accommodations across a broad front. A recent article spotting Elliot-Larsen and yet another proposed amendment notes its current protected classifications spanning 10 categories.

SEC spotlights "milestone" whistleblower case

On behalf of Sterling Attorneys at Law, P.C. posted in Whistleblowers on Tuesday, April 21, 2020.

Do the efforts of American employees who report corporate and governmental fraud sometimes truly pay off for them in meaningful ways?

The Unites States Securities and Exchange Commission is hardly equivocal in its answer to that question.