On June 9, 2022, Tyson Foods and its subsidiary, The Hillshire Brands Company, were sued over alleged employment discrimination. The lawsuit is by a former employee, Redina Hayslett, who claims she was terminated after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds.

Why it Matters:

We previously predicted companies should prepare for a litigation trend over

Wage discriminationMichigan municipalities won’t be able to enact local legislation championed as one way to eliminate the wage gap between men and women under a bill heading to Gov. Rick Snyder.

Specifically, legislation (SB No. 353) restricts municipalities from regulating what information employers must request, require or exclude during job interviews passed the Republican-controlled

same-sex coupleOn July 16, 2015, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a decision confirming that workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation violates title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)

Title VII is the primary federal statute that prohibits a range of discrimination against employees. This decision marks the first time the

Employment Dispute ArbitrationA frequent question that employers have when it comes to employment contracts and policies is whether the company should use an arbitration procedure for resolving disputes.

While there is not a “right or wrong” answer to this question, I tend to recommend employers reconsider using arbitration for resolving employment disputes. Two important factors for recommending

Employment DiscriminationThe Michigan Court of Appeals sent a strong message that employment lawsuits should not be analogous to a Rorschach test, i.e., subject to interpretation.

Instead, there are certain fundamental pleading requirements that must be alleged in order to state a claim; Failing to follow these requirements may result in a dismissal of the claim. The decision also highlights an important distinction between race-based discrimination and a hostile work environment based on race.


Continue Reading Discrimination Lawsuits Aren’t Rorschach Tests – They Should Not Be Subject to Interpretation

HR Issues derail start-ups Human resources and overall HR risk management is critical to any company’s success. Unfortunately, these matters often take a back-seat at start-up companies focused on getting to market. But overlooking HR issues is a surefire way to disrupt the business rather than the market.

This all too common story line recently played out at GitHub,

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said Thursday, May 29, 2014 that he would like to see Michigan lawmakers amend the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include language about sexual orientation and gender identity before the end of the year. These statements were made in an interview with Crain’s Detroit Business, as reported by Chris Gautz