WSNYC Blog: The Latest in Employment Law

For the last year, personal and social responsibility have weighed heavily on the minds of Americans amidst the global Covid-19 pandemic. Social distancing, and other safety measures, left individuals in hovels, ruminating on the simple joys previously taken for granted and conceiving of ways to shirk responsibility at the first moment’s notice. As state and local economies open up following vaccination efforts around the country, many see this as an opportunity to capitalize on those impulsive urges. Reopenings mean that

Joshua Payne-Elliot worked as a teacher at a cathedral school for 10 years in Indiana. In 2019, Joshua was fired from his position because he got married to someone of the same sex. The archdiocese believes that same-sex marriage is against their religion, and therefore should not be promoted (nor supported) within their school system. Joshua believes he has been the target of discrimination based upon his sexual orientation. Joshua sued the archdiocese in the court case Joshua Payne-Elliott v.

Our firm represents Mohamed Abdelal in his employment discrimination lawsuit against the NYPD on the basis of his Egyptian national origin, Middle Eastern
ancestry, and Muslim religion.  Mr. Abdelal was fired notwithstanding a strong record as a police officer and following an expansive and fruitless two year internal affairs investigation into perceived ties to terrorism.  The investigation, which involved law enforcement agencies including the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Department of Homeland Security, was not justified by any evidence suggesting

Last year, a teacher at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida was removed from her position after hanging a Black Lives Matter (BLM) flag outside her classroom. Lee was a segregated, whites only school until 1971. Since then, important work has been done at the school and within the community to combat the deep-seeded racism that is part of the school’s history. A recent NPR article provides one example: “. . . a student group called the EVAC Movement,

Last month, a jury sided with former IBM manager Scott Kingston, ruling that the technology company owes him $11 million in economic and non-economic damages. The jury’s verdict says that Kingston is owed $6 million in damages for emotional harm and $5.1 million in past and future economic loss and unpaid commission. 

Kingston claims he was fired out of retaliation after he reported an instance of racial discrimination against a subordinate, Jerome Beard. According to a Law360 article, “Kingston said that

Basecamp, a productivity software-making company, is currently under heat for implementing a controversial ban on societal and political discussions in the workplace. In a September blog post on the company’s website, chief executive Jason Fried listed several internal changes the company is making. He wrote, “every discussion remotely related to politics, advocacy or society at large quickly spins away from pleasant.” Referring to the current political and social climate, Fried emphasized that these discussions are “difficult to navigate” and are

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought up many questions regarding workplace safety and the rights of employees and employers alike. Our firm has previously blogged on issues such as whether your employer can force you not to wear a mask and whether employers can require vaccinations. Today, we aim to tackle questions such as “Can my employer ask why I am choosing not to get vaccinated?” and “As an employer, can I provide my employees with the vaccine?” 

Can My Employer Ask

Since 1953, women in South Korea have been permitted to take one day off a month due to painful menstruation. Between 2014 and 2015, Former CEO of Asiana Airlines, Kim Soo-cheon, received over 138 employee requests for a day off due to painful menstruation. The former CEO said that he began to get suspicious when large amounts of employees attempted to take off for painful menstruation near the holidays. Kim Soo-cheon asked the women to provide proof of painful menstruation.

McDonald’s is currently facing multiple class action lawsuits for allegations of sexual harassment and systemic racial discrimination. In a news segment covered by VICE News, multiple employees and black franchise owners came forward to discuss the issues within the company. This is one of the many lawsuits the global food service retailer has faced in the past. In fact, the sexual harrasment suit is one of 50 charges that has been filed against the corporation since 2015. The video segment

Throughout the pandemic, there has been a good deal of debate surrounding the legality of enforcing mask mandates in the workplace and whether or not employers can mandate vaccinations. The most recent issue that has arisen as the end of the pandemic comes into sight is regarding whether employers can force employees not to wear masks in the workplace. The answer might be more complicated than you think. 

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, if you wish to wear