Employment & Labor Law
Today’s businesses must comply with a host of federal, state, and local statutes governing the employer-employee relationship. At Kramer Rayson LLP, we have been presenting Tennessee employers since 1948. Our services range from providing general counsel to litigating employment disputes. Over the past seven decades, Kramer Rayson attorneys have represented and advised employers, unions and employees on a number of statutory and common law claims, including those involving:
- Sexual Harassment
- Discrimination due to race, gender, age, or other factors
- Hostile Work Environment
- Whistleblower Retaliation and Wrongful Discharge
- Defamation (libel and slander)
- Breach of Contract
- Employee Benefit Plans
- Outrageous Conduct/Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
- Invasion of Privacy
- Enforcement of Confidentiality and Noncompete Covenants
- Labor Relations and Unions
- Occupational Safety
- Prevailing Wage Laws (Davis Bacon and Service Contract Act.
Our Attorneys
Our experienced employment law attorneys include
- Edward G. Philips
- Thomas M. Hale
- John C. Burgin Jr.
- John E. Winters
- Robert L. Bowman
- Steven E. Kramer
- Shannon Coleman Egle
- Betsy J. Beck
- William J. Carver
- George A. Arrants
- Brandon L. Morrow
- Bryce E. Fitzgerald
- Andrew M. Hale
- James T. Snodgrass
- Katherine R. Overton
A History of Precedent-Setting Employment Law Cases
Our employment law practice dates back to our firm’s founding when Russell Kramer (and later Ed Rayson) represented Atomic Energy Commission contractors in Oak Ridge who were involved in the Manhattan Project. Mr. Kramer successfully persuaded the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and later the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, that the atomic bomb was “sui generis” and therefore outside the interstate commerce provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. (Young v. Kellex Corp., 82 F. Supp. 953 (E.D. Tenn. 1948); Selby v. J. A. Jones Constr. Co., 175 F.2d 143 (6th Cir. 1949)). Shortly afterward, Mr. Rayson persuaded the National Labor Relations Board that the Oak Ridge Hospital was not subject to the National Labor Relations Act, which was another precedent-setting decision.
Statutory and Regulatory Compliance
Since then, our firm has represented and advised clients on claims arising under numerous statutes, including but not limited to:
- National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- Equal Pay Act
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Civil Rights Acts of 1870 and 1871
- Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- Energy Reorganization Act (ERA)
- False Claims Act
- Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN)
- Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
- Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)
- Tennessee Human Rights Act
- Tennessee Disability Act
- Tennessee Public Protection Act
Providing Best Practices for Tennessee Employers
Our lawyers have prepared “best practices” that employers may consult and measure against their own employment practices. These best practices are designed to help minimize the risk of having an employment lawsuit filed or, if one is filed, to maximize the employer’s chances of prevailing.
Hiring and Compensation
- Hiring Employees
- Compensating Employees
- Compensating Tipped Employees
- Immigration and I-9 Compliance
Effective Policies
- Employee Handbooks
- Managing Employee Information
- Employee Technology Use
- Reductions in Force
Employee Benefits and Time Off
- Avoiding ERISA Pitfalls
- Employee Absences and Medical Leave
Harassment and Discrimination
- Defending Claims of Harassment and Discrimination
