Iowa prison ministry ruled unconstitutional.
In what could be a major setback for the government's ability to fund religious charities, a federal judge has ruled against an Iowa program designed to rehabilitate prisoners through Christianity. Federal judge Robert Pratt of Des Moines ruled June 2 that the InnerChange Freedom Initiative, operating at...

Report: no 'overt' faith bias at academy, but insensitivities abound.
A military panel that examined the religious climate at the U.S. Air Force Academy has found no "overt religious discrimination" but did see "a failure to fully accommodate all members' needs." While the report issued June 22 did not find institutional abuse, it criticized some officials at...

Air force issues guidelines on faith.
The U.S. Air Force has released new guidelines urging its military members and civilian employees to protect the free exercise of religion by not favoring one religion over another, or even over "non-religion." Issued August 29 and subject to final review this fall by base commanders, the...

ON THE JOB.
Byline: Bureau of Labor & Industries in The Register-Guard Question: I am one of two managers, and we jointly supervise 25 employees. All of our employees have complained to me about the company's other manager. In fact, several employees have described our work environment as `toxic,' and...

Jumble of labor laws difficult to master.
Byline: ON THE JOB by Dan Grinfas For The Register-Guard Question: Our director of human resources recently resigned, and I was asked to take over. I've been a supervisor for years, but I have no formal training in employment law, and I'm already finding myself overwhelmed by...

Bush's order widens charitable choice. (News).
President Bush has implemented a rule change, designed to expand his "faith-based initiatives," that critics say makes an end-run around Congress. Bush signed an executive order before Christmas that mandated all federal agencies under his control to ignore the religious character of a charitable group in determining whether the...

Appearance as hiring factor can get ugly.
Byline: On the Job by Bureau of Labor & Industries For The Register-Guard Q: When our interview panel rates a job candidate, they assign scores in several categories. Is it appropriate to list "appearance" as one of the categories on our rating form? A: It's...

The Philippine employers and the quest for equality at work.
Byline: Miguel B. Varela Chairman, ECOP FIRST of all I like to express our most sincere congratulations to the President on his election. I have no doubt that his many years of experience will help him chair and successfully conclude this conference. Philippine employers would...

'Grandfather' clauses can produce different benefits.
Byline: On the job by Bureau of Labor & Industries For The Register-Guard Q: I've been with my company for eight months, and I just learned that a co-worker of mine receives more vacation time than I do each year as well as a higher level of...

Tribal justice.
Tribal Justice SWIFT'S FAMOUS description of lawyers comes tomind as one reads Justice William Brennan's tortuous majority opinion upholding the legality of a Santa Clara, California, affirmative-action plan. To be sure, there is something to be said for affirmative action, and it should be permitted as a voluntary...