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This book is about the employment of people with disabilities in the United States and the important role of employer practices. Nearly one in five people report some form of disability, and they are only half as likely to be employed as those without disabilities. With the aging workforce and returning military veterans both contributing to increasing number of disabilities in the workplace, there is an urgent need for better ways to address continuing employment disparities for people with disabilities. Examining employer behaviors is critical to changing this trend. It is essential to understand the factors that motivate employers to engage this workforce and which specific practices are most effective. This book features research-based documentation of workplace policies and practices that result in the successful recruitment, retention, advancement, and inclusion of individuals with disabilities.

In a recent survey, twenty percent of workers interviewed reported that they had either experienced religious prejudice while at work or knew of a coworker who had been subjected to some form of discriminatory conduct. Indeed, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the filing of religious discrimination charges under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (which prohibits discrimination in employment based on race, color, national origin, sex, and religion) increased seventy-five percent between 1997 and 2008. The growing desire on the part of some religious groups to openly express their faith while at work has forced their employers and coworkers to reconsider the appropriateness of certain aspects of devotional conduct. Religion in the workplace does not sit well with all workers, and, from the employer's perspective, the presence of religious practice during the workday may be distracting and, at times, divisive. A thin line separates religious self-expression—by employees and employers—from unlawful proselytizing. This book presents specific cases that cast light on the legal ramifications of mixing religion and work. Court cases arising under Title VII and the First Amendment must be closely studied, the book argues, if we are to fully understand the difficulties that arise for employers and employees alike when they become involved in workplace disputes involving religion, and his book is an ideal resource for anyone hoping to understand this issue.

Since the onset of the Great Recession, Germany's economy has been praised for its superior performance, which has been reminiscent of the “economic miracle” of the 1950s and 1960s. Such acclaim is surprising because Germany's economic institutions were widely dismissed as faulty just a decade ago. This book examines the oscillations of the German economy across the entire postwar period through one of its most important components—the industrial relations system. As the book shows, the industrial relations system is strongest where the German economy is strongest and is responsible for many of the distinctive features of postwar German capitalism. It extends into the boardrooms, workplaces and government to a degree that is unimaginable in most other countries. Trends in German industrial relations, moreover, influence developments in the broader German economy and, frequently, industrial relations practice abroad. All these aspects make the German industrial relations regime an ideal focal point for developing a deeper understanding of the German economy as a whole. The book begins by presenting the framework of the German industrial relations system—labor laws and the role of the state—and then analyzes its principal actors: trade unions and employers associations. It finds the framework sound but the actors are in crisis because of membership losses. The book analyzes reasons behind the losses and the innovative strategies German labor and management have developed in their efforts to reverse them. It concludes with a comprehensive picture and then considers the future of German industrial relations.

This book offers a shocking perspective on the American aviation industry by a former United Airlines pilot. Weaving insider knowledge with hundreds of employee interviews, the book uncovers the story airline executives and government regulators would rather not tell. While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) claims that this is the “Golden Age of Safety,” and other aviation researchers assure us the chance of dying in an airline accident is infinitesimal, this book reports that seventy percent of commercial pilots believe a major airline accident will happen soon. Who should we believe? As one captain explained, “Everybody wants their $99 ticket,” but “you don't get [Captain] Sully for ninety-nine bucks.” Drawing parallels between the 2008 financial industry implosion and the post-9/11 airline industry, the book explains how aviation industry risk management processes have not kept pace with a rapidly changing environment. To stay safe the system increasingly relies on the experience and professionalism of airline employees who are already stressed, fatigued, and working more while earning less. For reasons discussed in the book, employees' issues do not concern the right people—namely airline executives, aviation industry regulators, politicians, watchdog groups, or even the flying public—in the right way often enough. In contrast to popular notions that airline accidents are a thing of the past, the book makes clear that America is entering a period of unprecedented aviation risk.