Cleveland Law Library Weblog

Cleveland Law Library Celebrates International Women's Day

The theme for this year's International Women's Day is #BreaktheBias. The website for IWD lists several missions "to help forge a gender equal world."

Build workplaces where women thrive

​Elevate visibility of women creatives

Improve equality for women in tech

Forge women's empowerment worldwide

Celebrate the women forging change

Empower women's choices in health 

 

 

Ohio's Minimum Wage Has Risen from $8.30 to $8.55

According to the Ohio Department of Commerce, Ohio's minimum wage for non-tipped employees rose $.25 per hour from $8.30 to $8.55 per hour effective January 1, 2019. In contrast, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. In addition, tipped Ohio employees received an hourly wage increase from $4.15 to $4.30 per hour. The Ohio DOC's new Minimum Wage Poster with greater details can be located on the web by clicking this link.

The Cleveland Law Library is Hosting Appellate Law and Employment Discrimination CLE Programs This Week

The Cleveland Law Library is hosting 2 CLE programs this week:

CURRENT APPELLATE PRACTICE IN THE 8TH DISTRICT, Thursday, November 12th, 2:30-4:30 p.m.

QUANTUM OF HARM: OBTAINING OR SURVIVING SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION CASES, Friday, November 13th, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon

Click here to register for these programs or read the brochures for more information.

Cleveland Law Library Offering Employment Law CLE on Thursday, December 11, 2014 from 9-11:00 a.m.

As our Law Library's last CLE program of the year, we are offering a 2-hour CLE next Thursday, December 11, 2014 from 9-11:00 a.m. on Drafting and Litigating Employment Related Agreements. This program will feature a discussion of documents involved in hiring and firing, including employment offer letters, employment agreements, confidentiality agreements, non-competition agreements, invention agreements, disciplinary documentation, termination letters, and severance agreements. The speakers will also offer suggestions for drafting employment documents. Click here for the Registration form and additional information about pricing.

Ohio Employer's Law Blawg Written by Local KJK Attorney Jonathan T. Hyman Makes ABA Inaugural Blog 100 Hall of Fame

The Ohio Employer's Law Blog, which is written by local KJK attorney Jonathan T. Hyman, has made the ABA's inaugural Blawg100 Hall of Fame. Mr. Hyman posts almost every day on Ohio and federal court decisions related to employee and employer issues, including the use of social media, non-competition agreements, and decisions on hiring and firing. Mr. Hyman has also written a brand new book entitled The Employer's Bill of Rights: A Manager's Guide to Workplace Law. Kudos to Mr. Hyman.

The Cleveland Law Library's Board Vice-President Carla Tricarichi Wins $14.7 million for Railroad Workers after 43-year Federal Court Battle

Th Cleveland Law Library's Board Vice-President Carla Tricarichi has won a $14.7 million dollar victory for railroad workers in a federal court case that took 43 years to wind its way through the system. As a Plain Dealer article explains, the suit, which may be one of the oldest ones in the country, was brought by the workers for seniority, pay and health-care benefits they claimed they lost when Pennsylvania Railroad merged with New York Central Railroad. According to the article, many of the workers are now deceased so there are a number of estates that will receive the proceeds if the judgment is ever paid and not appealed. Although the case started out in Cleveland under former Judge Thomas Lambros, it was moved to Philadelphia, where the judge rendered the $14.7 million decision against the underwriter for the defunct Penn Central.

A new article from Columbus Business First suggests that more lawyers are joining or creating virtual law firms with huge benefits. According to the attorneys who were interviewed from Ohio and elsewhere, virtual firms offer the opportunity to work less, eliminate overhead costs, spend more time with clients, and bill less. The last benefit may not seem like a benefit, but the lawyers indicated that lower fees means more clients find the attorneys affordable, thereby garnering the attorneys more clients and raising their income. Thanks to the OSBA for the link to this article.

Our Latest Podcast Features Benesch Partner Joseph Gross on the ADA Amendments Act

Our latest podcast features Joseph Gross, Esq., a partner at the law firm of Benesch Friedlander, on the topic of the recent amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mr. Gross outlines significant changes in the amendments and proposed EEOC regulations regarding the definitions of the phrases "substantially limits" and "major life activities." He also provides some advice for employers and employees on what to expect in the workplace. Mr. Gross is certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a specialist in the areas of labor and employment law and serves as the President of our Law Library's Board of Directors.

Ohio Minimum Wage is Still Higher Than Federal Minimum Wage

As Kohrman Jackson & Krantz's blog indicates, the federal minimum wage increased law Fridayon July 24, 2009 to $7.25 per hour. However, it is still $.05 less than Ohio's minimum wage, which increased to $7.30 on January 1st of this year pursuant to section 34a of the Ohio Constitution. That difference means Ohio's higher rate controls. Barring federal increases, the spread will get larger every January when Ohio's rate increases on an annualized basis. According to the blog, Ohio is 1 of 14 states where the state minimum exceeds the federal standard.

Ohio Supreme Court Rules Cities Cannot Enforce Residency as Condition of Employment

Yesterday, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in Lima v. State that ORC sec. 9.481 is constitutional, and political subdivisions such as cities and townships cannot condition employment on residency. The case was actually a consolidated appeal by the cities of Akron and Lima, both of which had required employees who worked for their cities to live within their borders.   The Ohio Supreme Court struck down the residency requirements under Section 34, Article II of the Ohio Constitution, which Justice Pfeifer wrote gives the General Assembly the right to supercede home rule authority for the "general welfare" of public employees. Justice Lanzinger and Chief Justice Moyer wrote separate dissents, primarily commenting that the majority's decision was contrary to the doctrine of home rule. The Ohio Supreme Court's decision seems to contradict the City of Cleveland's successful appeal last Spring over Cleveland's residency rule.  Click here to read our prior post about the Supreme Court appeal by Lima and Akron.