As most of you have heard, the Congressional Budget Office reported this week on the effects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka "ACA," aka "Obamacare") on employment.

The media messed up in its first accounts of the CBO report, saying that the Affordable Care Act would result in a loss of more than 2 million jobs. The clear implication, if not direct statement, was that ...

"There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him that it is right."

A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches

I am very sorry to say that Bob Janowitz, one of the founders of our Kansas City office, died on Tuesday, October 22, after a brief illness. Jano, a labor lawyer, had planned to retire (appropriately) next Labor Day. A link to his full obituary is here.

Partner Dan Murphy worked with Jano for many years and said, "There was only one Jano . . . he was funny, his laugh was infectious, and he ...

As everyone knows by now, the federal government shut down at 12 a.m. after the House and the Obama Administration failed to reach agreement on the Affordable Care Act. Essential activities, such as law enforcement, air traffic control, and Social Security payments, will continue as usual. But non-essential activities, which would include most of what our employment-law agencies ...

I am very sorry to say that Steve Warren, head of our firm's Greenville, South Carolina, office, and an outstanding labor lawyer and good friend, died this weekend after an extended illness. Steve came to our firm in 2008, after heading the Greenville office for Jackson Lewis.

Steve was highly respected for his legal ability, and much loved for his down-to-earth personality, his ...

Last week's post about whether certain employees in the news deserved to be fired, in addition to generating some great comments from readers, got me thinking about firings in general.

I don't like to fire people. 

And I know what you're thinking -- then why in the world is she even an employment lawyer!?! She needs a new career! I know. I've fired a few people myself. And, of course ...

Andy Warhol said that in the future everyone would be world-famous for 15 minutes. Wouldn't you hate for your 15 minutes of fame to be from getting fired from your job? Or having everybody on the Internet cyber-shouting for your employer to fire you?

Here are a few people whose 15 minutes came from an employment termination or calls for their termination. What do you think? Is termination ...

"We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies."

Dear Santa:

I've been a little down lately. Our friend and colleague, Michael Lavenant, will be buried today. And I'm still feeling for the residents of Newtown, Connecticut, and what a grim holiday this will be for them.

So, what do we want for Christmas? Most of us sure don't need more stuff -- maybe you can give our stuff to someone who is unemployed, or to someone who can't work because of an ...