August Hotel & Restaurant Legal, Safety, and Security Newsletter

Vol. 1 Issue 4. August 2005

LABOR LAW UPDATES FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

"BARTENDER, MAKE THAT A DOUBLE: A LOOK AT BOTH SIDES OF ACCOMMODATING EMPLOYEES' ADA NEEDS"
Provided by Raul Esquivel from Fisher & Phillips, LLP

Two lawsuits by persons in the same occupation, bartending, provide on the one hand a taste of the accommodations owed by employers under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), and on the other hand, the limits of what accommodations employees can reasonably request.

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"WAGE & HOUR SUITS ON THE INCREASE: IS YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER?"
Provided by Todd Stanton from Fisher & Phillips, LLP

Two things are almost certain. One, last year’s changes to the federal wage and hour laws are here to stay, and two, your compensation policies and practices are under increasing legal scrutiny. Private legal actions for wage and hour violations, both individual lawsuits and class action claims, are becoming as prevalent as discrimination and harassment lawsuits. The federal government also has stepped up its enforcement efforts. According to a recent Department of Labor report, its Wage & Hour Division collected over $165 million from employers for back wages in 2004 – a 49% increase in collections since 2001. Hospitality employers were well represented in the mix.

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SAFETY & SECURITY SPOTLIGHT

HospitalityLawyer.com is proud to announce that Safemark, one of our sponsors and a leading supplier of in-room safes to top hotel chains and hospitality providers worldwide, has been recently selected by Wyndham Corporate as the Preferred Vendor of in-room safes. Since pioneering the guestroom safe concept in the hotel market, Safemark has concentrated a large percentage of its resources to developing and managing highly specialized programs tailored to the specific needs of each hotel partner. Currently, more than 400,000 Safemark safes have been installed in properties throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

» Click Here to learn more on Safemark.

MI AND UT ACTIVATE CHILD E-MAIL REGISTRIES; MARKETERS MUST COMPLY WITHIN 30 DAYS OR FACE STIFF FINES AND PENALTIES

Provided by Susan Cagann
Nixon Peabody LLP

Hotels, restaurants and others that use email to communicate with customers must comply with new laws in Michigan and Utah that create "do not email" lists. Both Michigan and Utah activated child e-mail address registries that allow parents and others to register contact points including email addresses, mobile phone numbers and fax numbers. Companies cannot send electronic communications that contain -- or link to websites that contain -- information illegal for children including alcoholic beverages to contact points in the child registries. Companies sending e-mails to registered consumers face stiff penalties.

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Announcements

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2006 HOSPITALITY LAW CONFERENCE Registration is now open for the *Fourth Annual Hospitality Law Conference* to be held February 2-3, 2006 at the InterContinental Hotel in Houston, Texas. Two ways to register: 8 Register Online with your Credit Card 7 Fax a Registration Form to 713.627.9934 space space


THE AMERICAN BIORECOVERY ASSOCIATION The American BioRecovery Association has recently announced that they will be returning as a featured exhibitor at the Fourth Annual Hospitality Law Conference on February 2-3, 2006 in Houston, Texas. The American BioRecovery Association (ABRA), formed as a non-profit organization in 1996, is the trade association for the international Crime and Trauma Scene Clean-up Industry. ABRA has become one of the leaders in education on disease, pathogen control, antimicrobials, construction theory and laws regulating this industry. Learn More on ABRA through this Welcome Letter or by visiting their Website

STATE LIBRARY SPOTLIGHT

HospitalityLawyer.com is proud to welcome Fisher & Phillips LLP as the sponsoring law firm for the states of Louisiana, South Carolina, Nevada and Illinois. Fisher & Phillips is a national practice with sixteen offices across the country and continue to expand. Fisher & Phillips LLP is one of the oldest and largest firms in the country which limits its practice to the representation of management in the areas of labor, employment, civil rights, employee benefits and immigration law.

State Library Access is one of the many benefits available to Website members.
Not a website member? Take advantage of this and other benefits by » Becoming a Member

SPONSOR HIGHLIGHT

HospitalityLawyer.com has recently partnered up with White Collar Crime 101 to provide access to FraudAware/Hospitality, an E-learning program that focuses on fraud prevention in the hospitality industry.

FraudAware/Hospitality provides detailed training to aid hospitality managers and line employees in detecting illegal activities in their establishments.

You can find more information on this cost-effective program on our Solutions Store