• Fueled by liberal foundation grants and federal money, “Restaurant Opportunities Center” launches litigation campaign against chain-eatery leader Darden [Orlando Sentinel] Still to be explained: why the Detroit Chamber of Commerce would be so happy to announce a business-backed non-profit’s funding for ROC.
• Major employment plaintiff’s firm Outten & Golden promotes Hearst magazine intern class action [Romenesko, Reason]
• “Retaliation Charges Pose Growing Threat to Free Speech” [Hans Bader, CEI]
• Debate: “Should state outlaw requirements that job applicants be employed?” [Pia Lopez/Ben Boychuk, Sacramento Bee]
• “Is it time to do away with McDonnell Douglas?” [burden-shifting test in job bias cases; Jon Hyman]
• Supposed exemption from OSHA for under-10-employee businesses is mostly myth [Eric Conn, EBG]
• WSJ is kind enough to pick up my item on Italian labor law professors as a “Notable and Quotable” today;
• New York Times fires 23 employees after searching their emails and finding that they had forwarded blonde and ethnic jokes and other common forms of workplace humor [eleven years ago on Overlawyered]

Filed under: discrimination law, Ford Foundation, hostile environment, New York Times, OSHA, restaurants, wage and hour suits, workplace