In the #MeToo era, working women in a range of jobs and industries are saying, "Enough." In a recent, shocking example, six former cheerleaders have taken legal action against the Houston Texans football team and cheerleading coach, alleging they worked in a hostile environment where body shaming, intimidation and bullying occurred regularly. This type of treatment is considered sexual harassment, a form of sex discrimination, and is illegal under federal law.
Employees With Hidden Disabilities Often Suffer Discrimination
From chronic pain and fatigue to disruptive headaches and mood swings, millions of U.S. adults suffer from disabling and hidden or invisible medical conditions. For these individuals, daily life can be a struggle as their disability permeates all aspects of their lives, including their ability to get and keep a job.
While most workers are aware of the legal protections afforded to employees who have more visible physical disabilities, a much smaller percentage understand that these protections also apply to workers with less visible disabilities.
U.S. Workplaces Not Immune To Acts Of Religious Discrimination
Founded on the principles of equality and freedom, the United States is frequently referred to as a cultural melting pot. Spanning from California to New York, our country’s rich and diverse landscape is comprised of people of varying nationalities, ideologies, races, and religions. While this diversity is traditionally celebrated as a positive and defining attribute, members of some racial and religious minorities suffer harassment and discrimination in both their personal and professional lives.
In a recent ProPublica poll of some 3,000 Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh New York City residents, nearly 40 percent reported suffering acts of verbal and physical harassment, discrimination, or assault. These acts spilled over into victims’ workplaces, with many reporting extreme emotional distress and financial losses.
Pregnancy Discrimination Exposed at Large U.S. Companies
While both state and federal laws protect women against workplace discrimination based on pregnancy or birth, the reality is that companies of all sizes systematically ignore these laws to protect their bottom line. Even some of the bigger companies in the U.S. are guilty of this type of discrimination, and it is part of a larger problem that women face in the workplace.
Uncovering The Truths Behind The Gender Pay Gap
Most of us would never think to ask someone - much less a co-worker - how much money he or she makes. In fact, in most U.S. workplaces, the subject of salary and pay remains taboo. With the impetus of the "Me Too" movement, however, the subject of pay and, specifically, the disparity between how much female employees earn versus their male counterparts is getting more attention.
For more than 50 years, women have been an important fixture in workplaces throughout the U.S. Today, nearly 50 percent of U.S. women work outside the home and a record number hold managerial and executive positions. When it comes to pay and overall compensation, however, statistics show that female employees consistently lag behind.
U.S. Supreme Court Strikes A Blow Against Workers' Rights
This past May, in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that employees must comply with arbitration clauses in their employment contracts. Those clauses require plaintiffs to resolve legal disputes with their employers through arbitration instead of joining other employees in class action lawsuits.
In doing so, the court rejected the employees' argument seeking to overcome their employers' arbitration clauses. The employees had unsuccessfully urged the court to rule that the arbitration clauses were precluded by federal labor laws.
IBM Accused Of Systematic Age Discrimination
In previous decades, the real-life and on-the-job experience that workers 40 and older brought to the workplace was valued by employers that, in an effort to retain seasoned workers, willingly doled out promotions and higher salaries. This included technology companies like IBM.
Today, newer high-tech companies like Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon thrive on business models driven by innovation as these companies capitalize on their ability to anticipate and quickly adapt to economic and market shifts and changes. These high-tech companies also widely attribute their success to their ability to attract and retain skilled millennial employees.
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act Turns 40 – What’s Changed, What Hasn’t?
It’s been 40 years since members of the United States Congress signed into law legislation known as the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978. The passage of the PDA came on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the court sided with General Electric, upholding a lower court’s ruling that GE’s temporary disability benefits could exclude pregnancy and childbirth.
The Supreme Court based its decision in part on the notion that not all female employees become pregnant and therefore, pregnancy and childbirth were not subject to the provisions set forth in the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which explicitly bars sexual discrimination in employment settings.
A reckoning for women in the workplace
From Hollywood producers and media moguls to Washington politicians and boardroom executives, the recent “Me Too” movement has brought down some of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the country. While the sexual harassment and abuse allegations and lawsuits against Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Bill Cosby and President Trump make headlines, the “Me Too” movement is also shining a light on millions of other women who have been subjected to lewd comments, inappropriate touching and physical assault in the workplace.
If you are an employee who has or is experiencing sexual harassment at work, it’s important to understand your rights and the steps you can take to enforce those rights. No employee, regardless of profession, position, income or sexual orientation, should tolerate sexual harassment. Moreover, sexual harassment in an employment setting is illegal and legal action should be taken to hold perpetrators and condoning parties accountable.
Why some women didn’t speak up: Confidentiality agreements
Every day, more accusations of sexual harassment are being made against powerful figures in politics, entertainment and the corporate world. Now, the role of confidentiality agreements and nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) is becoming a subject of scrutiny. In particular, several of the women who have accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct essentially broke nondisclosure agreements they had signed.
Weinstein’s NDAs
