As the recent murders of innocent African American civilians like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others remind us, the United States has a long way to go in its struggle for racial justice. While current efforts against racial inequality are rightfully focused on police brutality, race discrimination in employment has a long and ignominious history in this…
Fired? Laid off? I’m sure you have so many things running through your mind right now. Here are a few things to consider when reviewing your severance agreement. DON’T be pressured to respond or sign immediately. Your employer must give you time to review the agreement. I frequently hear of employers trying to pressure or bully employees into signing severance agreements…
The past few weeks brought mixed results for plaintiffs at the Supreme Court. Although the Court surprisingly extended Title VII’s protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation in Bostock v. Clayton County, the Court wrapped up its term by extending the so-called “ministerial exception”—which exempts certain employees of religious institutions from employment protections—to a seemingly broader swathe of employees. What…
Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia has rightly been heralded as a true milestone for LGBTQ rights, including by my colleague Alok Nadig, who describes the decision here. Bostock brings LGBT Americans into the fold of Title VII’s protections against discrimination “because of sex” and has important ramifications with regard to other federal laws adopting similarly-worded prohibitions against gender discrimination. For the first time, LGBTQ…
The Supreme Court’s opinion released earlier this week in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia represents an outstanding milestone in the LGBTQ civil rights movement, and numerous posts and articles rightly celebrate this, including this one by my colleague Alok Nadig. The opinion also reminds us of several concepts that can benefit all victims of unlawful workplace discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of…
At we are committed to the bedrock principle of equal justice under law. We support and stand behind peaceful protests to bring about long-needed societal reform, take on systemic racism, and make our world a better place for everyone. In the familiar words of Dr. King, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” As employment lawyers, we are also…
Getting fired can be a stressful and upsetting time in an employee’s life. But getting fired for a reason that is illegal can also give an employee a basis to bring a lawsuit to recover money. Here are some examples of reasons an employee may be fired that would be considered wrongful termination: Ignoring written or implied promises – If you…
The unprecedented challenge of the global COVID-19 pandemic has caused uncertainty in every aspect of society. Certainly, the economy has been no exception, and employers are taking a variety of approaches and tactics in an attempt to weather the storm. Many employers are asking their employees to take pay cuts, with percentages often varying by title or overall compensation level,…
There’s a lot more to employment law than dealing with negotiations between two parties. Employment law is a complex field that is always changing. The courts and government agencies are constantly changing the laws and regulations governing in the workplace. What might have been the law only a few years ago can disappear overnight in one ruling.If you feel like…
Over fifty years ago, in a speech supporting striking Memphis, Tennessee sanitation workers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., stated: “All Labor Has Dignity.”[1] How profound a statement. Today, decades later, with our country facing health and economic crises, we are confronted by the truth of Dr. King’s statement. Many of us are now newly appreciative of the hard work, dedication, and…