IT TOOK ONE DAY!!!!–

Yesterday, we commented on BREAKING NEWS to tell you that the Michigan Attorney General issued an opinion stating that the Michigan Civil Rights Commission interpreted the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) to include a ban on discriminating against folks based upon their Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification, in short against the LGTBQ community in our…

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Extremism and Employment

CAN AN EMPLOYEE BE FIRED FOR PUBLISHING EXTREMIST OPINIONS? Surprisingly to many, the answer is “Yes”. How come an employee’s opinions are not protected by our Constitutional Right of Freedom of Speech? The answer is relatively simple. The Constitution protects us from adverse action taken by the GOVERNMENT to curb free speech and impinge upon…

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Is It Discrimination If It Is LGBT Negative?

Employers are concerned.  It is possible to run afoul of anti-discrimination laws without intending to do so.  Irrespective of one’s personal views on LGBT matters, we are often asked “if an employment policy appears to adversely affect gay people i.e. providing separate dressing areas because straight employees demand it” is it discrimination?”  Simply put, employers…

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New DOL Overtime Regs. Released

“But I thought they were exempt employees”!!!  The lament of the uninformed HR Director.  The most prominent change in the final changes to overtime regulations by the Dept. of Labor is the increase in the salary level required for for exempt employees.  The new “exempt” level is $47,476 annually ($913/week) to have the status of…

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Congratulations Gary Schenk

Congratulations to Gary Schenk, one of our founding partners.  Gary has been recognized again this year by Martindale-Hubbell, the country’s leading lawyer assessment (by his peers) and information source, as a “Pre-Eminent AV” lawyer, the highest award for ethics and legal skills.  This rating was given to Gary by his peers in both the Bar…

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