An Unaccommodating Situation is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column.

Question:

If you are under doctor direction not to return to a full schedule or work only half- or part-time, can HR say that you either come back full-time or not at all? I had surgery that my doctor said required me to work no more than part-time. The school let me work a part-time schedule though they didn’t let me teach the classes that would have been best for my students. They also lambasted me for it and think I should have come back right away. Now the district policy is full-time or nothing. No partial-time doctor’s notes will be accepted. Can they do this?

Karen Nussbaum, co-founder and executive director of Working America, will appear Tuesday night at 8 p.m. EST in the PBS premiere of the documentary "MAKERS: Women Who Make America." Working America is the fastest-growing organization for working families in the United States.

McDonnell, Scott Move the Right Way on Medicaid is a cross-post from Working America's Main Street blog. 

Over the past week, we’ve had a big and welcome surprise. Two of the loudest opponents to ensuring more people get health care coverage through Medicaid have been Virginia’s Gov. Bob McDonnell and Florida’s Gov. Rick Scott. Now, both have moved—grudgingly—in the direction of accepting the Medicaid funds allocated to states.

More than 1,500 people rallied Tuesday on Capitol Hill in support of working families and to tell Congress not to make any benefit cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. They also told Congress to close tax loopholes for big corporations and the wealthiest 2% and to prevent the sequester from going into effect and harming the country. Throughout the rally, working families spoke with a unified voice calling for "jobs, not cuts."

"Sniffing" for Chemical-Free is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column. David knows you deserve to be treated fairly on the job and he’s available to answer your questions, whether it is co-workers making off-handed comments that you should retire or you feel like your job's long hours are causing stress.

Who's the Boss? is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column. David knows you deserve to be treated fairly on the job and he’s available to answer your questions, whether it is co-workers making off-handed comments that you should retire or you feel like your job's long hours are causing stress.

Question: 

I was on unemployment insurance (UI) for a long time and finally got hired, but only part time (the employer wanted to avoid paying medical benefits for full-time workers). I continued to file UI low earnings reports, but the employer was very slow to report my earnings. It was unclear who my employer actually was, too. Was it the company I worked for or the corporate HR firm it contracted out to?

—Longing for more, Hawaii

The city of Portland, Ore., is planning to discuss a proposal by the Everybody Benefits community coalition that would require businesses to provide paid sick leave to their employees. The coalition is made up of labor, community and business groups and is seeking to follow in the footsteps of San Francisco and other cities that have successfully passed similar ordinances.

My Fair Share is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column. David knows you deserve to be treated fairly on the job and he’s available to answer your questions, whether it is co-workers making off-handed comments that you should retire or you feel like your job's long hours are causing stress.

Question:

What can you do about not being paid a fair wage for the work you do? I make a lot of money for the company I work for feeding a robot up to 4,000 packages per hour. How do I get some of the money I make for the company through high production paid to me?

—Marty, Indiana

Passed Over is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column. David knows you deserve to be treated fairly on the job and he’s available to answer your questions, whether it is co-workers making off-handed comments that you should retire or you feel like your job's long hours are causing stress.

Question: 

I have been working for a company for about two years. The company recently acquired another company. There were many layoffs as the companies merged. I was moved over to another department. A director-level position was created in this new department and someone was given the promotion. The rest of us never knew about the position and certainly didn't have a chance to apply for it. The person receiving the promotion has a lot less experience and qualifications for the job. When I confronted his boss about this, he minimized the importance of the role. Is it legal to promote someone into a new position without allowing others to apply, especially if the person who was promoted is less qualified?

—Pamela, Massachusetts

"10 Things to Know About What Happened in Michigan On Thursday" is a cross-post from the Working America Main Street blog. 

1.) The Michigan House and Senate yesterday passed so-called “right to work” bills. “Right to work” laws effectively defund the ability of workers to have a voice at their workplace. In 23 other states, these laws have lowered wages, weakened benefits, raised the poverty rate and led to increased workplace injuries and deaths. The House passed one such bill and the Senate passed two.