Mike Stanger - Employment Lawyer

05/07/2025

A bit surprising to see Marriott as the defendant in this one. My guess is that they are pretty decent at religious accommodation, based on their history. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16AfuVr6rN/

According to an EEOC lawsuit, Marriott Vacations Worldwide and Marriott Ownership Resorts initially allowed an employee, who is a Seventh-Day Adventist, a religious accommodation that allowed her to avoid Saturday shifts. Following a change in management, the companies began scheduling her for Saturday shifts. After the employee made repeated complaints, her schedule was changed, negatively impacting her sales and commissions, and they continued to schedule her for Saturdays, forcing her to choose between showing up to work and her religious practice, the suit charged.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination because of an individual’s religion and requires employers to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious observance or practice unless doing so would cause an undue hardship. https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/eeoc-sues-marriott-vacations-worldwide-corporation-and-marriott-ownership-resorts-inc

10/28/2024

Time to register for Strong & Hanni's 2024 Utah Employment Law Day (free, as always, to clients and friends of the firm)! I'm particularly excited for the mock trial portion of the program this year.

Included below is the general schedule and the topics that will be presented. Click the link below to register:

Form Link: https://lnkd.in/gX3nbHxX

If you have any issues registering, copy the link into your browser or email Elizabeth Lui ([email protected]) with the following information:
First & Last Name
Email Address
Job Title
Organization
Adjuster #
Will you be attending In-person or Virtually?
Any dietary restrictions?
Will you and a guest be attending our private movie screening of Wicked on Saturday, November 23rd?

06/27/2023

Most employers are familiar with the reasonable accommodation process for workers with disabilities. Beginning June 27, 2023, pregnant employees are also entitled to reasonable accommodations thanks to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, summarized here: https://www.eeoc.gov/wysk/what-you-should-know-about-pregnant-workers-fairness-act

The EEOC provides several examples of possible reasonable accommodations including: “the ability to sit or drink water; receive closer parking; have flexible hours; receive appropriately sized uniforms and safety apparel; receive additional break time to use the bathroom, eat, and rest; take leave or time off to recover from childbirth; and be excused from strenuous activities and/or activities that involve exposure to compounds not safe for pregnancy.”

As with the Americans with Disabilities Act, covered employers (15 employees or more) must provide reasonable accommodations unless doing so would cause an “undue hardship” (significant difficulty or expense) for the employer.

03/17/2023

Have you told the FTC what you think about their noncompete ban?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been making headlines recently with its efforts to ban noncompete agreements, but the pushback from the business community is growing. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a powerful industry group representing businesses of all sizes, has come out strongly against th...

03/07/2023

I was pleased to be able to play a small role in getting a new statute on the books to help prevent workplace violence.

Workplace safety is always a top priority for employers. That's why the newly passed Utah House Bill 324 is a welcome addition to the state's legal framework. Prior to enactment of this new law, employers did not have a protective order remedy to keep their employees from harm. The new bill allows e...

02/24/2023

Will more jurisdictions follow suit?

The Seattle City Council approved an ordinance on Tuesday that adds caste as a protected class to the city's anti-discrimination laws, alongside categories such as race, religion and gender identity.

01/05/2023

This is a big deal.

A sweeping proposal by the Federal Trade Commission would block companies from limiting their employees’ ability to work for a rival.

10/31/2022

Please join us! Free to clients and prospective clients. https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=ci0nJx6jA0mz7t7ppp9RsYCqympci0xOgtxaEXH4nP5UNzE3SkRKQjlLUVhCN0RJQ0lJV1ZJTE5PVC4u&web=1&wdLOR=cE12FEA22-9ECE-4C0B-92B9-309889FBC5BB

08/11/2022

As we're planning Strong & Hanni's annual Employment Law Day seminar, what topics would you like to learn more about? Some we're considering:

Sexual Harassment Lessons from Boris Johnson
Employment Arbitration – Time to Give it a Go?
Unionizing on the Rise – What Utah Employers can Learn from Amazon and Starbucks
Service Animals 101 - Can I Bring my Donkey to Work?

As always, there will be a free film for our guests. I'm excited that this year we'll be showing Wakanda Forever. Save the date - November 15.

05/23/2022

I've seen an increase in union organizing activity among my client base. Treating your employees decently goes a long way to avoiding a unionization vote. If you've followed the harassment issues at Activision, they appear to have struggled with that.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/23/23138412/activision-blizzard-union-vote-game-workers-alliance

05/12/2022

Are bald men in a protected class? In England, the answer is apparently "yes."

Calling a male colleague bald isn’t harmless banter but sexual harassment.

03/04/2022

Whether you're interested because you want to know what the EEOC is up to, or because you find Lilly Ledbetter's story compelling, or both, this should be an interesting webinar.

The EEOC will host a free webinar with EEOC Chair Charlotte Burrows and Vice Chair Jocelyn Samuels. Guest speaker, Lilly Ledbetter, will share her story and discuss the ongoing fight for .

https://eeoc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_Pc6SDqwXSbyMYC1ABwwSTg