HR Specialist: Pennslyvania Employment Law

Jurors in Pennsylvania are notoriously generous to fired employees. And that’s just the beginning. Aggressive attorneys don’t stop with federal laws like FMLA, ADA and FLSA: they use state and local living-wage statutes, rural codes, plus discrimination and other laws to sue employers for sky’s-the-limit damages. This Pennsylvania-specific newsletter arrives monthly to help sue-proof every aspect of HR. Written in plain English, it’s your insurance policy for staying in step with current interpretations of state and local laws – and staying out of court. Learn more about HR Specialist: Pennsylvania Employment Law and the free report you’ll get when you subscribe...
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WTXF TV news anchor Tom Burlington has sued his former employer claiming discrimination after he was fired for using the “N-word” in an editorial meeting called at the Philadelphia station to discuss a news story about a mock funeral to bury the “N-word.”

Burlington said he thought the phrase “the N-word” gave the word more power than the word itself. In doing so, he used the word, offending his black colleagues. He apologized to them for any hurt he may have caused.

But the station suspended Burlington and then terminated him months later when his contract expired. He claims he was harassed and discriminated against because of his race. The station has called the suit “meritless.”

Note: The law requires employers to provide a workplace free of harassment and discrimination. Sometimes social customs clash with purely equal treatment of employees. For example, would you fire a black employee for using the “N-word”? Many of these issues can be addressed in company policies that aim to balance everyone’s rights.