WSNYC Blog: The Latest in Employment Law

Marlo Spaeth and her sister

Marlo Spaeth, who has down syndrome, worked for Walmart in Wisconsin for 16 years. She consistently received positive performance reviews from management. Walmart decided to elongate Spaeth’s usual shift despite her disability. Spaeth later requested an accommodation for her disability. She asked to leave 60 to 90 minutes early from the shift. Ms. Spaeth was denied the accommodation.Walmart fired Marlo Spaeth in 2015 due to her disability. Spaeth’s sister reports that Marlo was devastated

As offices and workplaces across the country reopen, many employees are wondering whether they have the option to continue working from home. Recently, Google announced that employees in the US who choose to work from home may receive a permanent pay cut. The company designed a “pay calculator” that shows employees the effect that working from home or changing offices will have on their pay. A Google spokesperson said, “Our compensation packages have always been determined by location, and we

A former Tesla employee won $1 million from a ruling that found his supervisors guilty of using racial slurs towards him. According to a recent Bloomberg article, Melvin Berry began working for the Tesla office in Alameda, California back in 2015 as a materials handler and left the company after  just18 months. Berry is one of the many employees who have filed complaints of racial targeting at the company. The results of his case finally put an end to the

New York City is finally beginning to show signs of life. But that headway may be threatened by an increase in coronavirus cases from the spread of the Delta variant.

Potential Issues in Midtown

Midtown Manhattan is one of the areas expected to be hit hardest by the Delta variant. Due to its lack of residential population, Midtown lacks the local support that has sustained many areas during lockdown.  The central area of Manhattan largely depends on office workers and tourists for

New York’s Governor, Andrew Cuomo, is currently undergoing a criminal investigation for alleged sexual harassment claims against eleven women. In a report released earlier this week by the state’s attorney general, Letitia James, Cuomo has reportedly “harassed current and former state employees in violation of both federal and state laws.” Cuomo’s alleged misconduct includes a pattern of inappropriate groping, kissing, and suggestive comments in the workplace. The report also highlights one particular instance where Cuomo “retaliated against a woman who

July 30th, 2021, the specialty retailer L Brands publicized a $90 million corporate government agreement to settle multiple lawsuits charging that its former Victoria’s Secret brand upheld a toxic work environment, which included sexual harassment. The company has also agreed to an additional $21 million in legal fees, subject to court approval. 

Initial Investigations into Toxic Work Environment

In early June 2021, a shareholder of L Brands, John Giarratano, sued the company for records and alleged that it’s subsidiaries, Bath & Body