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Age Discrimination Class Actions

Background

Federal Sector Alternative Dispute Resolution

Federal employees are protected from workplace discrimination by a number of laws. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for coordinating anti-discrimination efforts in the federal workplace, including enforcing all non-discrimination legislation. Portions of the following laws exist to forbid workplace discrimination in much of the federal sector:

Hot Cargo Agreements under the National Labor Relations Act

In 1935, Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to encourage collective bargaining and to strengthen the rights of workers. Hot cargo agreements, also known as "hot goods" agreements, are agreements between employers and labor unions.

Employee Inventions -- Ownership

Generally, any person who invents something or comes up with an idea is entitled to ownership of that invention or idea (and any trademarks, patents, and copyrights that arise from it). Exceptions to this rule, however, exist when the individual created or invented something in the course of employment by another individual, organization, or company. When this is the case, there are a number of factors to be considered and a number of possibilities with regard to ownership rights.

The Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) was passed to regulate employee benefit plans, including employer-sponsored group health plans. In 1998, an amendment to ERISA was passed called the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA), which applies to individual health plans as well as to employer-sponsored group health plans. The WHCRA establishes rights for women who are covered under health plans that cover mastectomies. It is important to note that the WHCRA does not require health plans to provide coverage for mastectomy; rather, it imposes requirements on plans that do offer such coverage.