We have been getting a lot of questions from employers about how employees’ legal use of marijuana impacts an employer’s ability to enforce its drug testing policy. Colorado and Washington recently became the first states to approve the recreational use of marijuana, but numerous other states have legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes for several years. Now employers are asking: what happens if an employee tests positive for marijuana under our workplace drug and alcohol policy, but says that he or she used marijuana legally either for medicinal purposes or while in a state that has legalized marijuana for all purposes?
Continue Reading Drug Testing Policies Up in Smoke?

As we approach the halfway point in the year, there are several noteworthy trends in state employment law that you should be aware of in order to proactively address potential high risk areas for your operation and stay compliant with the law. This post provides a summary of some of the hot-button issues affecting employers at the state level.

Employers must stay current on these ever-changing employment law trends, and we will continue to keep you up-to-date on these issues. In addition, we will be hosting our Annual Labor and Employment Law Seminar on June 1, 2012, which will cover labor and employment law developments and trends. For more information about our seminar, including registration information, please visit the events page on our web site at www.mwn.com or follow the links in the post.
Continue Reading Current Trends in State Labor and Employment Law

Many watched intently in early February as the political theater unfolded in Madison, Wisconsin when Republican Governor Scott Walker proposed legislation to limit the collective bargaining rights of most state government employees. In a matter of days, the Capitol would be swarming with protesters and demonstrators on both sides of the issue. What followed was weeks of sit-ins in the Capitol, a mass walkout by all 14 Democratic State Senators to block a vote on the proposed law, the unprecedented recall elections of 6 Republican and 3 Democratic state lawmakers and a bitterly fought campaign to unseat an incumbent State Supreme Court Justice widely viewed as a pro-Walker.

Observers on both sides generally agree though that the movement to reform public sector collective bargaining rights has invigorated the debate on the role of unions in today’s uncertain economic climate.
Continue Reading The State of State Unions: A Year in Review

A Federal Appeals Court in Philadelphia enjoined Temple University from enforcing its “facially overbroad” sexual harassment policy because some speech that creates a “hostile or offensive environment” may be protected speech under the First Amendment. In DeJohn v. Temple University, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated a public university’s Policy on Sexual Harassment that