December 1999

WIN AT WORK MONTHLY

 

 

A Community Service of

DON D. SESSIONS, A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORP., Employee Rights Attorneys

 

 

 

 

Win At Work

 

aDVANTAGES OF IGNORANCE

 

            What you don’t know may help you!

            Sound strange?  Usually knowledge is power, but not always. 

            Most employers are legally required to tell their employees about their rights on discrimination, wages and workplace conditions.  In fact, companies have to give you this information by displaying various posters or distributing pamphlets or other required documents.  If they don’t, they may be legally liable. 

            It may be used as evidence that they did not fulfill their legal obligations to prevent discrimination or other violations in the workplace. 

            Also, some courts have extended deadlines that have already passed for abused employees who have not been properly advised by their employers. 

            Thus, if your deadline has supposedly passed or you think your case is too weak, don’t lose heart - what your employer did not tell you may turn out to give you more rights than if they had. 

 

 

Employee Rights Update

 

EMPLOYMENT DISPUTE TAX RELIEF BILL NOW PLANNED FOR 2000

 

            In our October 1999 update, we advised you of pending bill HR 1997 which would make most employment dispute recoveries non-taxable. 

            Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, but not because of any great opposition.  It got bogged down in procedural technicalities. 

            However, it received favorable publicity among members of both Houses of Congress, Republican and Democrats alike. 

            In fact, Sen. Grassley of Iowa, one of the highest‑ranking Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee, has agreed to sponsor a Senate version of the bill next year.  Also, Senator Kennedy’s office has said that we “are in a very good position to get this done next year.” 

            If it does pass in 2000, it will probably only be retroactive to January 1, 2000.  Passage of the bill could mean big savings for any employees involved in such disputes.  We’ll continue the fight! 

 

Look for answers by Don D. Sessions, employee rights attorney, to employees’ questions in the "Shop Talk" column of the Sunday Business Section of The Los Angeles Times and the "Business Monday" Section of The Orange County Register. Click here to add
(or here to delete ) your E-mail address to or from our monthly mailing list. For more employee rights information, click here for our website, job-law.com; here to order our book, Employee Rights in California; or contact our office directly at 23456 Madero, Suite 170, Mission Viejo, CA 92691, (949) 380-0900, (800) 774-7494, mailto:attorneys@job-law.com. The Win at Work portion of Win at Work Monthly is from our ongoing syndicated column appearing in Times/Mirror Publications (including LA Jobs and Orange County Jobs) and elsewhere. Win at Work Monthly is intended for general information and should not be construed as legal advice or opinion. Readers in need of legal advice should promptly retain the services of an attorney. ©1999 by Don D. Sessions.