Employees’ Rights

A series of labor lawsuits against Fox Entertainment and Gawker Media has sparked new concern regarding unpaid internships, which are a common way for college students in Michigan and elsewhere to gain industry experience. The companies were sued by former interns who...

Anyone who lives or works in Michigan may be interested in reports involving Goodwill. Some supporters of employee rights were outraged when the non-profit organization was reported to pay disabled employees hourly wages significantly below the mandatory minimum wage....

Detroit residents may be interested in a case brought on in behalf of disabled plant workers. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit seeking to uphold employees' rights against a company that allegedly hired mentally disabled men to work in a...

Lots of Detroit readers look for film critic Roger Ebert's signature endorsement "two thumbs up" when they scan a movie's poster or a DVD's cover. Ebert, who has written for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years, is one of the most trusted reviewers in the entertainment...

This week, the Family and Medical Leave Act, one of the most important pieces of federal legislation affecting employees' rights, turned 20 years old.Passed back in 1993 during President Bill Clinton's first term, FMLA quickly became a watchword in Human Resources...

So far this winter, people all across Detroit have come down with the flu. The 2012-2013 season is turning out to be one of the worst flu seasons in recent memory.Believe it or not, an employment law aspect has emerged in news coverage of the flu epidemic. Ohio-based...

Here in Michigan, sexual orientation is not a protected class. That means that employers are not explicitly prohibited from discriminating against gay and bisexual men and women in the same way that they are prohibited from discriminating against people on the basis...

Most of our Detroit blog readers are probably well aware of the fact that a boss or supervisor who inappropriately touches or talks to them at work has committed sexual harassment. But when such behavior takes place outside of the workplace, whether it constitutes...

Union matters are traditionally considered labor law, rather than employment law. However, the recent passage of two "right-to-work" bills in Michigan is such a hot topic that we cannot ignore it, and of course, it can be seen as in issue affecting employees'...

Art that challenges social mores, stereotypes and conventional attitudes is not always appropriate for all audiences. So does that make it inappropriate for schools?That's a relevant issue in the Detroit area, where a teacher has been suspended for allowing a student...