In a recent decision, the US Supreme Court affirmed the right of employers to review the text messages on employees’ cell phones. In City of Ontario v. Quon, the government employer 
searched the employees’ cell phone for text messages. The cell phone had been issued by the employer. The City believed the employee had exceeded
General
Iraqi Interpreter Killed by his Family
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
In Iraq and Afghanistan, Moslem interpreters help us everyday with the war effort. Interpreters assume a special risk. They are targeted whenever possible. See report of an Iraqi interpreter who was killed in Samarra by his son and nephew. His son and nephew are said to be members of Al-Qaeda. Samarra is heavily Sunni, so…
National and Area Unemployment Down
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
The national unemployment rate has reduced from 9.9% to 9.7% for May. See report. But, it appears that many of these new jobs are temporary jobs. The San Antonio rate has improved slightly from 7.3% in April to 7.1% in May. See TWC report. Overall, Texas added 43,600 jobs in May.
San Antonian Killed in Afghanistan
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
San Antonio pararescuer TSGT Michael Flores was killed in Afghanistan. TSGT Flores was a 1997 graduate of John Marshall High School. He was killed along with three others when their helicopter was crashed in Helmand Province. The Taliban claim they shot down the Osprey-22 helicopter. See San Antonio Express-News report.
Memorial Day: Thank a Veteran
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
We all have different memories of Memorial Day. Some remember hot dogs and trips to the lake. Some remember a grandfather or uncle who served in World War II or Viet Nam. I remember 1SGT Saenz. We all met at Ft. Jackson on March 13, 2005. We numbered a little over a hundred members of…
Zero Tolerance Policies Have Limited Utility
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
A reader calls me about a friend. He called me in response to my entry about drug testing and zero tolerance policies. My entry actually was based in part on another blog entry by Mike Maslanka, a noted employer side attorney. Mike’s point and mine was that an employer should be prepared to allow exceptions…
National Unemployment Rate Up
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
The latest numbers tell us that unemployment rate has risen nationally to 9.9%. But, anaylysts say, that is a good thing. See report. Since, the rise means more people have returned to looking for jobs due to the rise in new jobs.
Texas’ unemployment rate has rose slightly from 8.2% to 8.3. See…
LCPL Clark Killed in Afghanistan
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
LCPL Phillip Clark was killed in Afghanistan. His wife, Ashton Clark, a 2009 Clark High School graduate, San Antonio, said Phillip was the life of the party. She said they planned to buy a home and have a baby when he returned. See report. She and her husband were married just before he left…
San Antonio Marine Killed in Afghanistan
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
A San Antonio Marine was killed in Afghanistan, Helmand Province. See San Antonio Express-News report. LCPL Chris Rangel was killed by enemy fire. He graduated from West Campus High School in 2006. As a high school student, he displayed a "real quiet sense of leadership," said one.
School Issued Laptops Took Pictures with No Warning
By Thomas J. Crane on
Posted in General
You may have heard about the school district in California that let some 2,000 students take home school-issued laptops, The laptops had webcams and a software program, Theft Tracker. Theft Tracker would take pictures with the web cam every 15 minutes, if the shool officials activated the program. Many laptops were reported stolen. So, the…