HR Specialist: New York Employment Law

Employee interpretations of state laws are leading to sky-high numbers of lawsuits in the Empire State. 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 New York-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: New York Employment Law and the free report you’ll get when you subscribe...

Black Friday had a double meaning at Wal-Mart’s Valley Stream, N.Y., store last year when temporary employee Jdimytai Damour, 34, was trampled to death by stampeding shoppers.

OSHA investigated and levied the maximum permissible fine against the store, $7,000.

OSHA concluded that Wal-Mart failed to train its employees in how to handle large crowds whipped into a frenzy by drastic holiday discounts. That failure to train caught up with the chain when crowds erupted through the front door of the Valley Stream store when it opened in the pre-dawn hours of Nov. 28, 2008.

Officials maintain Wal-Mart should have anticipated the swarm based on its previous “blitz Friday” promotions.