Employment Law Terms

Employment Law Terms (S-U)

This is the eighth post in a series discussing some basic employment law terms. I hope this will help employers better understand the words that frequently come up in employment law. If there’s a term you’re wondering about that isn’t discussed here, let me know.

Here are links to the previous installments if you missed them:

S

“Seniority”: A measure of an employee’s length of service. In unionized workforces, seniority may determine compensation level, scheduling, and other aspects of employment.

“Sexual harassment”:  Unwelcome treatment in the workplace based on one’s sex. If it includes a request for sexual activity in exchange for favorable job treatment, then it is considered “quid pro quo” sexual harassment.

“Severance”:  Money or other benefits paid to an employee upon termination of employment.

“Strike”:  Refusal to work by a group of employees. Most often used by unions to gain leverage in negotiating terms and conditions of employment.

“Subcontracting”:  Hiring an outside individual or group of workers to perform work rather than having the work done by an organization’s own employees.

“Successor”:  An entity that is legally responsible for one or more obligations of a previous entity with respect to employees. In some cases, a successor employer may be liable for discrimination by a former employer or may be obligated to recognize a union that represented employees of a predecessor employer.

“Supervisor”:  An employee with responsibility for other employees. An individual who qualifies as a supervisor under the National Labor Relations Act does not have the right to join a union. Supervisors may or may not be exempt from overtime requirements, depending on other factors.

T

“Termination”:  The end of employment. May be voluntary (e.g., retirement or resignation) or involuntary (e.g., firing).

“Title VII”:  Part of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, or national origin. Also prohibits retaliation for engaging in protected activity (e.g., filing a complaint) related to these categories.

U

“Undue hardship”:  When an action requires significant difficulty or expense. If an otherwise reasonable accommodation would impose an undue hardship for an employer in a particular situation, then the employer may be excused from the obligation to make the accommodation.

“Unemployment”:  Compensation available to some workers who have lost employment. Often provided through an insurance program run by state authorities.

“Unfair labor practice”:  A violation of the National Labor Relations Act. Both employers and unions can be found to have committed an unfair labor practice.

“Union”:  A labor organization representing workers with respect to terms and conditions of employment.

“USERRA”:  The federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.  Generally, prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of military status and requires employers to reinstate employees who have left work to perform military service.

 

More Employment Law Terms Coming Soon

Stay tuned for the next installment of employment law terms: V-?

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If you think I’m missing any employment law terms that should be included above, please email me to let me know.