Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

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Monday, June 1, 1998 Governor Tommy G. Thompson Secretary Linda Stewart

News Media Contact Michael H. McCoy 608/267-4400 e-mail: mccoymi@mail.state.wi.us fax: 608/266-1784

For more information contact: Paul Fieber, Equal Rights Division at 608/267-9464

New edition of Decision Digest
available on Internet and as book

Madison, Wis. -- The 1998 edition of the state’s Equal Rights Decision Digest now is available to the public on the Internet and as a book, a state agency said today.

The Internet version includes a word-search capability of what otherwise is a 377-page publication, said Sheehan Donogue, equalrights administrator in the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD). "This makes it even more valuable to people who aren’t sure where to go in the publication forthe answers they need," she explained.

People using the Internet version can enter a key word or phrase -- such as "harassment" or "refusal tohire" -- when prompted to do so. They then will quickly see a list of those portions of the Digest which address that topic. They can "jump" immediately to those particular pages by executing a single additional computer command.

The Decision Digest summarizes "important legal decisions under Wisconsin laws concerning fair employment, family andmedical leave, open housing and public accommodations," she said. It includes decisions issued by the state’s Labor and Industry Review Commission, the Wisconsin Personnel Commission, and Wisconsin courts, among others.

This latest edition of the annual publication contains cases through Dec. 31, 1997. "It’s heavily employment related and provides important insights into key workplace issues such as sexual harassment, accommodating persons with disabilities, and arrest and conviction record questions," Donoghue added.

"It also helps users clarify how serious health condition is defined under the family leave law, and it addresses a range of other employment decisions of interest to managers, human resource managers, small-business owners, unions, lawyers, workers and others."

"We have long been committed as a state to insuring equal opportunity for all of our citizens," Donoghue said."We believe this publication assists all of us in fulfilling that commitment."

Book editions of the current digest are sold for $10 plus state and applicable local taxes through state government’s Document Sales office. Persons may order using a Visa or Master Card by calling 1-800-362-7253 (or 264-9419 in the Madison area).

To order via the mail, make checks payable to the Wisconsin Administration Department and send with the purchaser’s name and shipping address to Document Sales and Distribution Center, P.O. Box 7840, Madison, WI 53707-7840.

It also may be viewed and downloaded for free on the Internet at the Department’s Web site at <www.dwd.state.wi.us/er/>

For more information about this publication or the laws it covers, contact the Equal Rights Division at either 608/266-6860 (Madison) or 414/227-4384 (Milwaukee).

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