As you saw with my last post, last year had plenty of drama from the personal injury side of things. Between New Jersey’s PIP rule adjustments, the renewed national gun control debate, and “social media discovery” becoming a normal phrase tossed around in legal circles, 2012 sure did not disappoint from the employment and business law aspect either.
For starters, there was the unfortunate case of Kristopher Brooks, a young journalist who landed his dream job with the News Journal in Wilmington, DE and promptly lost it after posting about the job offer on his blog. Similar to the article that discusses the judge allowing for social media discovery, we need to remember that all aspects of society are still trying to clarify the boundary lines for social media and the internet. In this case, Mr. Brooks had the unfortunate experience of playing the guinea pig.
As Inc.com reports:
What seems entirely innocent to the average digital native didn’t sit well with the News Journal, however. They called Brooks to rescind the offer. “I just told my immediate editor what the post was about. And he said, ‘Oh, that sounds okay.’ Around a quarter to six, [local editor] Phil Freedman called me and told me [the post] was an illegal use of the company logo and I wasn’t supposed to quote from the offer letter that I got…and that they wanted to rescind my job offer because of that,” Brooks told Loop21. He immediately offered to take down the post but the News Journal was unmoved. He lost the gig.
Another major development last year involved Michigan’s Right-to-Work law. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed the bill into law in mid-December. As Elizabeth Hartfield of ABC News explains, “Right-to-work laws have garnered a lot of national attention in recent years as more states have implemented this legislation that prohibits unions from requiring workers to pay dues as a condition of their employment.” This appears to be an issue that will probably not be going away in 2013 either, since Pennsylvania lawmakers recently unveiled a package of right-to-work bills per Myles Snyder of ABC 27 in Harrisburg.
Hartfield continues:
The laws are meant to regulate agreements between employers and labor unions that would prohibit the employer from hiring non-union workers.
The laws are particularly divisive–proponents argue that businesses will be more likely to set up shop in the state, while opponents argue that weakening union power will lead to lower wages.
Well, that will wrap things up in our look back to 2012. Here is to 2013 and everything it brings! Give me your take on the articles and cases by commenting below. Also, visit the Fegley Law Facebook page and share your thoughts there. Make sure to “LIKE” our page too!
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