WSNYC Blog: The Latest in Employment Law

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) recently sued the producers of the hit show Criminal Minds, alleging sexual misconduct. The show’s cinematographer reportedly engaged in sexual misconduct with crew members for 14 years. DFEH also named Disney and CBS in this lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court last month. The suit claims the producers of the show were not only aware of the alleged behavior of cinematographer Gregory St. Johns, but also condoned it and

Illustration by: LA Johnson

In response to increasing complaints of anti-Asian discrimination in New York, the New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR) will launch a $100,000 public education campaign to raise awareness of incidents of bias and hostility that are related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. NYCCHR designed this two-month long campaign in consultation with various Asian American communities. The NYCCHR will use the WeChat app, a multipurpose social media platform, to reach out to Chinese communities

Connecticut has a policy that allows transgender athletes to compete with their gender identity rather than the sex on their birth certificate. Recently, the US Department of Education released a statement saying that the policy violates Title IX. The decision came out after a group of cisgender (biological) females filed a complaint that two transgender athletes, Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood, have an unfair biological advantage.

Gender Discrimination Lawsuit Involving Transgender Athletes

The two transgender athletes have outperformed their competitors

Many information technology employees work long hours for low pay and no overtime compensation.  The health care industry has started hiring more IT consultants to implement new software, train employees on how to use them, and provide ongoing application support services for colleagues and clients.  Many of these workers are considered independent contractors who are given hourly wages with no overtime compensation as a matter of company policy.  However, an employer can only withhold overtime pay if a worker falls

A former Lyft driver recently sued the ride-share company, alleging that her former employer violated sick day laws. Given the coronavirus outbreak, enforcing sick day laws is more important than ever for public health. The lawsuit claims that Lyft refused to provide required paid sick day leave to drivers in Washington, D.C.. Not only could this be damaging to the health of Lyft employees, but also could exponentially spread the coronavirus, as Lyft drivers come into contact with many customers

The Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in many “non-essential” employees losing their jobs. However, if you are lucky enough to still be working, you are most likely working from home. One recent study found that around 40% of workers can work remotely. Although there are certainly some benefits to working from home (pets make great co-workers!), the national shift to remote work could have a negative impact on work-life balance for years to come. Additionally, as many companies transition to majority-remote

The Coronavirus pandemic has forced about two-thirds of Americans to work from home.  Not only do many Americans want to continue working remotely so they don’t catch coronavirus at the office, but they also prefer working from home.  A recent Gallup poll found that 59% of Americans would like to continue to work remotely “as much as possible” once social distancing restrictions on businesses and schools are lifted.  Some Americans say they prefer virtual workdays due to the lack of

After closing factories for nearly two months, several employers such as Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler, sent autoworkers back to work this week. Many employees are concerned about their safety at work in the new post-coronavirus world. Since autoworkers are some of the first non-essential employees to return to the workplace, their experience may give us insights into the “new normal” for American workers. Keep reading to find out how the law may protect workers who are at a

A Tyson plant in Wallula, Washington reopened in early May after it had been closed for twelve days due to a coronavirus outbreak.  The plant closed on April 24th when it began testing all of its workers and deep cleaning its facilities.  The testing revealed that 19%, or 277, of the factory’s 1,482 workers tested positive for COVID-19, half of whom did not show any symptoms. The workers were asked to self-quarantine at home during the 12-day suspension of operations

Amazon employees in New York recently protested over their working conditions due to the coronavirus outbreak. Employees are concerned that Amazon has not done enough to protect its workers from contracting the virus while at work. Following the protest, Amazon has taken steps to enforce rules about mass emails across the company. Additionally, Amazon has terminated at least six employees involved in worker protests. Some employees say that these communication rules hinder worker organizing. Amazon claims that the rules are