The top executives at The New York Times have come under a multimillion-dollar class action lawsuit for creating “a culture of discrimination” at the company based on age, gender and race. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two African-American female employees in their 60s who worked in the paper’s advertising department. The two women alleged that they were paid less than younger, white employees and were overlooked for promotions within the Times.
Tag: discrimination
New York Audition Notices Spark Employment Law Concerns
Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported on discrimination in casting calls for the Broadway hit “Hamilton.” Although specifying race, age, and gender is legal in audition calls, the Actors’ Equity Association, a union organization, generally checks the audition notices before going out. The notices for Hamilton, which posted from late 2015, were not reviewed by Actors’ Equity. They have sparked discussion over the formalities and procedures to avoiding discrimination in audition calls.
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Investigation of Employee’s Social Network Sites
In today’s technology driven society, almost everyone has some type of social media account. While most young people think nothing of the reflection your page might have regarding prospective employment, it is estimated that three-quarters of employers look at applicants’ Facebook presence to see what they’re doing outside of work. While CareerBuilder.com estimates approximately 1 in 10 young people have been denied jobs based off their Facebook postings, there are laws that protect a worker’s privacy when it comes to what these employers may take into account when selecting a new hire.
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After Eight Years, Terminated Employees Receive $6.2 Million Jury Verdict in Pregnancy Discrimination Case against Medical Services Company
In the lawsuit, the three women — two of whom worked as an administrative assistants and another as a biller — established themselves as solid performers, but when it was discovered that they were pregnant or suspected of being pregnant, they were harassed by their employer, falsely accused of poor performance and later fired. The employees had only been with the company for less than a year. Two were fired in October 2006; the third was fired in March 2007.
Class Action Lawsuits
A class action lawsuit can be used when a number of people wish to participate in a lawsuit but the class is too numerous, or it would be too expensive to try each case separately. These individuals commence a case and retain lawyers to represent them and retain a class representative to represent them and the class. An example of this is hundreds of people who suffer alleged employment discrimination, including sexual harassment and wage and hour violations are now pursuing their job rights through class action lawsuits. In addition, class action lawsuits are also available to challenge a policy or interpretation of a statute or regulation, such as in a Medicaid case.
Women Celebrate Victory in Supreme Court Young v. UPS Decision
In the much anticipated Supreme Court decision in the case of Young v. UPS, the Court remanded the case back to the 4th Circuit. Although the Supreme Court did not directly decide the issue of whether UPS violated the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, in not offering Young a disability accommodation due to her pregnancy, it held that Young’s claim should at least be heard. Advocates celebrated this as a victory because at least Young would have her day in court that had been denied by the lower courts. Young’s attorney considered the decision to be a “big step forward towards enforcing the principle that a woman shouldn’t have to choose between her pregnancy and her job.”
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Army Found to Have Unlawfully Discriminated Against Transgender Employee
In a recent groundbreaking decision announced on October 23, 2014, the United States Office of Special Council found that the United States Army discriminated against a transgender civilian worker who transitioned from male to female.
According to the report, the employee, a disabled vet, was working in the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (“AMRDEC”) in Redstone, Alabama, when she transitioned from male to female in 2010. During that time, the Office of Special Council found that her employer engaged in a several discriminatory practices including, improperly restricting her restroom usage, referencing her with male pronouns, excessively monitoring her conversations with coworkers, and not giving her work.
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Understanding Wrongful Termination
Many circumstances can result in the termination of employment. A firing is often a traumatic and destabilizing event. While these unfortunate occurrences may seem untimely, unfair, and unsubstantiated; the termination may not always qualify as “wrongful.”
What is Wrongful Termination?
Rights of Pregnant Workers Clarified by the EEOC
In an effort to emphasize the fact that employers are legally prohibited from discriminating against workers because of past, present, or future pregnancies, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently introduced new enforcement guidelines on pregnancy discrimination in the workplace. This is the first time the guidelines have been updated since 1983.
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NY Attorney General Addresses Job Recruitment Discrimination
Discrimination at work can often manifest itself well before a job seeker has had the opportunity to even secure full- or part-time employment.
Recently, the Office of the New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, came to a series of agreements with five New York City-based employment agencies in an effort to resolve allegations of unlawful discrimination and predatory business practices.
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