employment practices News

$460M Awarded to Former Workers Who Sued California Utility

Two men who sued saying they were forced out of their jobs at a Southern California utility after complaining about sexual and racial harassment have been awarded $440 million in punitive damages, attorneys said. A Los Angeles County jury awarded …

Amazon Workers Close in on California Trial to Recoup Work-at-Home Expenses

Amazon.com Inc. workers seeking to recoup expenses they incurred while working from home during the pandemic moved a step closer to trial when a California judge threw out the e-commerce giant’s request to dismiss the lawsuit. California-based engineer, David Williams, …

McDonald’s Investors Demand Civil Rights Audit in Close Vote

McDonald’s Corp. investors voted in favor of a proposal calling for an independent civil-rights audit, going against the company’s recommendation, according to preliminary vote totals viewed by Bloomberg. The fast-food chain joins the ranks of other large businesses facing a …

Judge Rules California’s Women in Boards Law Is Unconstitutional

A Los Angeles judge has ruled that California’s landmark law requiring women on corporate boards is unconstitutional. Superior Court Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis said the law that would have required boards have up to three female directors by this year violated …

Los Angeles Mayor ‘Likely Knew’ About Alleged Sex Harassment, Probe Shows

A top Senate Republican released an investigation that concluded Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti “likely knew or should have known” that a former top adviser was allegedly sexually harassing city employees, a finding that appears to contradict the mayor’s assertion …

McDonald’s Beats Back Challenge to Settlement With U.S. Labor Agency

McDonald’s Corp. on Friday defeated a union-backed organizing group’s challenge to a settlement with a U.S. labor agency over claims that the company helped franchisees across the country suppress workers’ demonstrations calling for higher wages. The U.S. Court of Appeals …

Ex-Legislative Equity Officer Files Oregon Suit for $1.2M

A man who was tasked with fielding complaints of harassment at the Oregon Capitol is suing, saying he was pushed out of the job after reporting serious problems in his office and in the upper ranks of legislative administration. Nate …

Labor Board Judge Rules Amazon Must Reinstate Fired Warehouse Worker

A judge has ruled Amazon must reinstate a former warehouse employee who was fired in the early days of the pandemic, saying the company “unlawfully” terminated the worker who led a protest calling for Amazon to do more to protect …

California Judge Rules 5 Officers Wrongly Fired

A Northern California judge ruled that five Oakland police officers who fatally shot a homeless man in 2018 were unjustly fired and should have kept their jobs. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch said in his ruling issued last …

Biden Orders Push on Long COVID, Pandemic’s Shadowy Mystery

Confronting the pandemic’s lasting shadow, President Joe Biden on April 5 ordered a new national research push on long COVID, while also directing federal agencies to support patients dealing with the mysterious and debilitating condition. Biden assigned the Department of …