Exam 29: Employment Law

Whistleblowers are employees who disclose illegal behavior on the part of their employers.

It is legal for a private employer to use lie detector tests as part of its usual hiring process.

The prohibition against wrongful discharge prohibits an employer from firing a worker for a bad reason.

Heather applied for a promotion,but her manager promoted a co-worker because the manager knew Heather was seven months pregnant.The manager did not want to promote someone who would probably be taking time off of work for childbirth and child care.The manager has acted legally and reasonably to protect her company's interests.

The Family and Medical Leave Act applies to:

Under the federal legislation known as OSHA:

Maxine lost her job as an electrical engineer with a large company which had provided health insurance benefits for Maxine and her family.She now:

Firing an employee for her refusal to violate the law would raise a claim of wrongful discharge.

Does the Family and Medical Leave Act apply to professionals like CPAs?

As a general rule,employers have a legal obligation to disclose information about former employees to potential future employers.

If an employee is an employee at will,the common law allows the employer to fire the employee for a good reason,a bad reason,or no reason at all.

How many weeks is David allowed to take off under the Family and Medical Leave Act in this situation?

Megan was employed by a large company.Her supervisor told her to falsify government reports.She refused and was fired.She sued for wrongful discharge.Her employer claimed that,since Megan was an at-will employee,she had no legal right to claim the company was liable for damages.Is the employer right?

Some courts have held that employee handbooks create binding contract terms.

Sharon fell while making an inspection of a machine at work and in the fall,she broke her arm.Can she collect workers' compensation for the time she had to be away from work as she recovered?

Which of the following would probably not be required of employers to reasonably accommodate for religious beliefs?

Maude was denied employment with Trucks R Us as a warehouse worker because she didn't meet the weight requirement of 160 pounds.Trucks argued the weight requirement was reasonable because warehouse workers often have to lift things weighing up to 100 pounds.If she sues Trucks,she will probably:

Orson was fired from his job behind the ticket counter at the airport.He was loudly told to put his personal belongings into a plastic bag and was led out by security guards in front of his co-workers and customers.His supervisor told him not to return.Orson's employer faces potential liability for:

Prior to the Industrial Revolution,the primary law of employment was that,absent an agreement otherwise,a worker was hired for a year at a time.

Sandy worked for a small printing company.She found a new job that would pay much more.In accordance with company policy,she gave her employer a two-week notice that she would be leaving.Her employer was upset she was quitting,so he terminated her employment immediately.Sandy was upset because she thought she had acted properly by giving her employer two weeks' notice.Her new employer will not be able to employ her for two weeks.Sandy believes her employer has breached the employment agreement and she should be paid for the two weeks between jobs.Is she right? Explain.