There is every indication that, even with absentee and early voting in some states, November 4 will see the largest voter turnout in decades. Tales of long waits to vote early portend what’s likely to come next Tuesday. There are always voting problems at the polls even when turnout isn’t heavy. Part of your job this year is to prevent voting problems from entering your workplace.

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The president and vice president of a supermarket in Brooklyn have been accused of paying no wages to some baggers who received only tips, failing to pay workers the minimum wage, and refusing to pay overtime. The New York Times reported that the two executives were arrested for cheating employees and falsifying business records filed with the state.

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And now for our first instrumental and who better to provide it than Herb Alpert & the Tijuanna Brass.  And, it’s aptly called The Work Song.

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This election is important for a lot of reasons. One reason it’s important has been completely below the radar during the entire campaign, and that reason is its impact on labor and employment law. It’s been a long time since an election will have as much impact on this area of the law and, thus, on the way employers do business and deal with their employees.

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Though given in a healthy southern accent, the bipartisan advice from this YouTube clip should resonate in all regions of the country — at least with the voters, if not the candidates.

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Earlier this week, there was a similar question: Why is there still racism? The sexism question, raised earlier in the presidential campaign and still raised sometimes because a woman is running for vice president, was most recently raised by a group of female playwrights in New York. The New York Times reports that they demanded a town hall meeting with representatives of New York’s leading Off Broadway and nonprofit theaters.

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Well, we’re almost there. After hearing so much about all the good things about this election, its historic nature, a watershed event, etc., I thought a bit of cynicism should be inserted into the orgasmic media frenzy that’s been building for 18 months or so.

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The Los Angeles Times reports that a display at the house of one West Hollywood resident has caused an uproar in the neighborhood, causing some neighbors to report a hate crime to law enforcement. The display features a likeness of Republican vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, hanging by a noose.

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Lately, all we’ve heard about are the shenanigans of the big rollers, the filthy rich, the highbrow. Lest we think they’re the only ones tempted by the trappings of power. let’s consider a case of  lowbrow temptation and its expensive fraud on — yes, the taxpayers.

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For weeks, we’ve listened to politicians and business tycoons tell us why the historic bailout of banks, investment banks, insurance companies, and other businesses was necessary. Without it, doom awaited — for Wall Street and Main Street. So, the bailout occurred. What happened first, however, was that financial and business leaders recklessly bailed out on their responsibility.

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California voters will be asked to vote on Proposition 2 to decide whether farm animals in the state should be given certain rights. Apparently, California isn’t aware of the Animal Employment Protection Act. It’s obviously time for a reminder.

That’s a question asked at the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium in Nashville during a session about the the revival of symbols of racial hatred in the workplace. There was discussion after this question, but I’m not sure it was answered. Even after a long campaign by the first African-American nominee for President, much talk about post-race America, and efforts to seriously address the lingering issue of race in our society, the title of this post remains, as reported recently in the Washington Post.

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An article in the Columbus Dispatch about an attempt by the faculty at Ohio University to organize a union helps answer the above question. There’s nothing new about why in this situation, but there are cogent reminders of the usual answer or answers to this question.

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Here’s the Corporate BS for October 19-25:

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