Contemporary Employment Practices and the Law

Contemporary Employment Practices and the Law

MHR 868

Winter, 2006

Instructor: Rebecca Jacobs

Room: GE 0285

Work ph: 229-0006 (weekdays)

Personal ph: 937-8168 (week nights & weekends)

E-mail:

Office hours: By appointment

Text: Cop-EZ packet

Handouts: See http://carmen.osu.edu

Class materials, the copy packet and all items posted on the web page are fair game for exams.

Course Objective: As a required core course for the MLHR program, this course is designed for future human resources professionals. This course is intended to instruct students on the employment laws with which human resources professionals must be aware as well as how to apply the laws and best practices to various situations they will encounter.

Course Requirements:

1.  Writing Assignment: a respondent’s position statement to an EEOC charge. Late assignments will be docked one full letter grade for each day late.

2.  Mid-term and Final Exams. Both exams will in a short essay format and will resemble the various hypotheticals we discuss in class. Exams must be taken on the scheduled date unless you have made prior arrangements with the instructor to take the exam on a different date.

3.  Class participation is expected. Please bring your name tags and have them in easy view on your desks.

Grading Components:

Mid-term 40% Any issues with grading must be brought to

my attention within one week following

Writing assignment 20% receipt of a grade.

Final 40%

100%

Schedule:

Jan. 4: Class orientation and introduction to employment litigation, including contracts of employment and at-will employment

Jan. 11: Employment litigation, contracts of employment, at-will employment, contingent workforce, employment policies, background checks, reference checks, Fair Credit Reporting Act & FACT Act, how to conduct an investigation, Weingarten rights, Internet and e-mail, and privacy in the workplace

Jan. 18: Introduction to Discrimination & Harassment (Title VII, Equal Pay, ADEA, etc.) in hiring, promotions, discipline, terminations and other tangible employment actions, sexual harassment, Fair Labor Standards Act, and OSHA (guest speaker Mark Katz, Esq.)

Jan. 25: Discrimination & Harassment – continued, retaliation, punitive damages, garnishment, and intro to writing assignment

Feb. 1: Mid-term

Feb. 8: Workers’ Compensation (guest speaker David Eidelberg, Esq.), constructive discharge, wrongful termination, and introduction to ADA

Feb. 15: ADA, FMLA, and pregnancy discrimination

Feb. 22: Union avoidance, NLRA, grievances & unfair labor practices,

March 1: Writing assignment due at the beginning of class

Violence in the workplace (guest speaker Lauren Hunter, Esq.)

March 8: Reductions in Force, WARN Act, releases, arbitration, military leave rights, and review of Final.

March 15: Final exam.

Any students who have a need for an accommodation due to disability must make me aware of the situation within the first two weeks of the quarter.