If your organization hasn’t gone over its background check forms in a while, now is the time: A U.S. Court of Appeals recently reconsidered discloser rules required by the FCRA. In other news, the State of Maryland settled a lawsuit alleging Equal Pay Act violations, and pallet and lumber companies remain on the front lines of the nation’s drug epidemic. Get the details in our Weekend Roundup:
Employers: No Time Like the Present to Scrutinize Background Check Forms
The time to act is now. Employers should take a look at their background check forms in light of a recent ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that state disclosures cannot be combined with the disclosures required under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Employers should not rely on background check companies to make the appropriate changes to their forms—a privileged review of background check processes and forms to ensure compliance and mitigate risk now should be in the game plan.
Maryland Settles EEOC Complaint Over Pay at Insurance Administration
The Maryland Insurance Administration has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that accused the agency of paying three female fraud investigators less than their male counterparts for the same work.
The disparity violated the federal Equal Pay Act, the lawsuit said.
The agency will pay about $37,000 in back pay and damages to settle the lawsuit. It must create specific “non-gender-based criteria for setting wages,” according to the EEOC. And it will post a notice outlining its obligation to meet the criteria and report to the EEOC about how it handles any future complaints of sex-based wage discrimination.
Workplace Drug Abuse: Reducing the Risk of Impaired Workers
Workplace drug abuse can threaten your bottom line in many ways—higher absenteeism, lower productivity, and costly accidents that spark lawsuits. Employers are facing a greater risk than ever from a growing culture of impairment that shows no signs of tapering off any time soon. Pallet and lumber companies are on the frontline of the nation’s drug epidemic as many potential workers can’t even pass a basic drug test.