While almost all states provide some sort of protection for workers belonging to a protected class (whether age, sex, race, disability, or other characteristic), the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) offers some of the strongest protections for workers in the country. The MHRA is one of the key tools that the employment attorneys at Schaefer Halleen have to hold employers accountable—and it just got stronger. On May 15, 2024, … [Read more...]
Accommodations in the Workplace for Managing Disabilities
Blog written by Makenzie Krause and Mack Reed. When an employee brings a claim against their employer for failure to accommodate a disability, the employer often argues it was not aware of the disability, and that in any event the employee never requested an accommodation. Because many employee/employer interactions occur through verbal conversations (either on the phone, via Zoom, or in person), employees often have little evidence … [Read more...]
Drug and Alcohol Addiction Are Covered by Disability Discrimination Laws
State and federal law provides protections to individuals with disabilities, including requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations to them. Because alcoholism and drug addiction are recognized disabilities under these laws, individuals with such conditions have the same right to these protections. ADA Protections for Employees with Disabilities The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and the Minnesota Human Rights Act (“MHRA”) … [Read more...]
Disability Accommodation in Minnesota
Both U.S. and Minnesota law require employers with more than fifteen employees to provide reasonable accommodations to disabled workers, but the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and the Minnesota Human Rights Act (“MHRA”) provisions aren’t identical, and the differences can be important. Procedurally, a plaintiff must file a federal claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) or the Minnesota Department of … [Read more...]
COVID is here to stay: know your rights if it stays with you.
As COVID variants have cycled through the population, it has become clear that COVID is here to stay. What is less clear is how lingering symptoms of these variants, also known as “Long COVID” or “Post-COVID Conditions” will impact the health of those who have contracted these symptoms. ADA Protects Long COVID Employees Given the presence of Long COVID, employees must understand their rights so they are empowered to face their employers if … [Read more...]
