Employment

Three leading precedents confirm what the statute’s plain terms suggest. In Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp., 400 U. S. 542, a company was held to have violated Title VII by refusing to hire women with young children, despite the fact that the discrimination also depended on being a parent of young children and the fact that the company favored hiring women over men. In Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power v. Manhart, 435 U. S. 702, an employer’s policy of requiring women to make larger pension fund contributions than men because women tend to live longer was held to violate Title VII, notwithstanding the policy’s evenhandedness between men and women as groups. more »

Can I create my own filter? Some people buy or create masks with a pocket inside to hold a filter, such as a coffee filter. When using other materials to make your own filter, such as unused vacuum cleaner bags, HEPA furnace filters, HVAC anti-allergy filters or other air filters, make sure you sandwich the filter between at least two layers of fabric to cut down on the risk of inhaling potentially harmful fibers from these materials. There are not yet conclusive data on whether or not filters provide added protection, but studies are underway. Please make sure that you can breathe easily when wearing the mask, and do not use a filter if it makes you feel short of breath. more »

Bills Introduced: Reimbursements for the child care operational emergency costs of certain institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic; provide states and Indian tribes with flexibility in administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program; emergency grants to states and Indian tribes to provide financial support for low-income individuals; bill to increase the age of eligibility for children to receive benefits under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)   Weekly Legislative Update May 11… more »

Rose Madeline Mula writes: I have thought about whom I would like to be isolated with if given the chance. Obviously, my first choice would be those I love — especially any of them who can cook. Other than that, who? No, not George Clooney. There would be way too much pressure to try to look good 24/7. Instead, it would be very handy to have a tech support guy or gal ensconced in the guest room to solve my inevitable computer glitches ... a plumber (clogged toilets are my nightmare, second only to a shortage of toilet paper) ... an electrician (in case of a repeat of my recent smoke detector catastrophe when all three failed simultaneously on a Saturday night and each screamed “EVACUATE!” every five seconds) ... And if one of these guys or gals knows how to fold a fitted sheet, that would be a big plus. more »