Tennessee Employment Lawyer Blog

Tennessee employees and employees throughout the country deserve to be treated with respect and to be treated equally by their employers. It is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of their gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, or even their weight. Unfortunately, many companies discriminate against their employees based on these classes all too often. If you or someone you love feels like they have been unfairly discriminated against at work due to gender, race, and disability or for another reason, then you should talk with a Tennessee employment discrimination lawyer right away. They will hear your case and make sure you get the compensation you deserve by law.

According to this lawsuit, a senior human resource manager with the Toshiba Company filed a lawsuit claiming that a U.S. unit of the Japanese company has a gender bias against women concerning pay and promotions. The lawsuit states that Elaine Cyphers alleges that the company pays women lower salaries and bonuses than men who do similar work. She also claims that the company leads women into lower positions and favors men for the promotions.

According to Cyphers, “only 3.4 percent of Toshiba’s 6,273 managers throughout the world are women even though the company created a “Gender Equality Office” six years earlier.” Cyphers also says that she has been a human resources manager at Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corporation as well as the highest ranking U.S. employee at that unit. She states she was received $90,000 to $91,800 between 2008 and 2009 while men employed in similar positions received $120,000 a year.

The lawsuit is seeking class action status on behalf of all the current and former Toshiba female employees in the U.S. Cyphers was hired at Toshiba in 2008 after working in human resources for a quarter of a century. Cyphers stated that not long after she was hired, the company promoted a male employee with less experience to a position above her.

Continue reading "Toshiba Facing $100 Million Lawsuit for Gender Bias" »

In Tennessee as well as across the country, when we apply for a job or work at a job we expect to be treated with respect and dignity by our managers, bosses, and even our co-workers no matter what our differences may be, because we are all supposed to be treated as equal employees with the same rights and privileges as any other employee at our workplace. However all too often, many employees are harassed, bullied, and given different amounts of pay for the same work depending on their gender, race, sexual orientation or any other status. If this has happened to you at your work, you should speak to a Tennessee employment lawyer right away. This kind of treatment is illegal and your lawyer will help make sure you get the compensation and treatment you are entitled to by law.

In this case, an Oak Park municipal employee, Michael Aguayo, who is gay, claims that he received unfounded write-ups and reprimands as well as being demoted and eventually fired when several employees found out about his sexual orientation in November of 2007. The lawsuit also claims that Michael was the victim of verbal abuse which created an unfavorable work environment for which he sought medical treatment.

Aguayo's attorney, Maurice Dusky said that he was terminated because a Family Medical Leave Act dispute and then reinstated. Currently, Aguayo is employed by Oak Park. Oak Park’s village manager, Tom Barwin denied Aguayo's claim that he was terminated from his role in the public works department. Adam Rosen said the union, Service Employees International Union Local 73 represented Aguayo in the FMLA dispute which involving him taking funeral leave for the death of his partner’s mother. Rosen stated that he was fired on February 10th and then reinstated after the union representatives met with the village about the dispute.

Continue reading "Employee Files Lawsuit against Oak Park after Claiming Harassment over Sexual Orientation" »

Many residents of Tennessee as well as many people across the United States want to feel respected when we go to work each day. We want the pay we deserve the work we do and we want to be treated well like every other coworker. However, sometimes in many workplaces this is not the case. Sometimes certain employees get treated differently because of their gender, disability, race, or just because the company views them as a little different from all of their other employees. Whatever the reason, this is against the law and should not be happening. If you feel that you have been treated differently or not properly respected by your workplace, then you should talk to a Tennessee employment lawyer right away. They will help make sure you get the compensation and respect that everyone deserves when they are at work.

In this case, The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or EEOC filed a lawsuit against Maxwell House alleging that the coffee company discriminated against a female employee at a Jacksonville plant. The lawsuit claims that Francena Smith received harsher discipline than her male coworkers when they were involved in situations where coffee had been damaged. It also claims that Smith was fired in October 2008 because of her gender.

Smith was given her job back after union arbitration but this lawsuit seeks monetary damages. An attorney for the EEOC tried to settle with Maxwell House after an investigation, but had no success. Maxwell House’s discipline policy is an oral warning, a written warning, suspension and then termination. However, Smith was involved in an incident in June 2008 where coffee had been damaged and she was fired, while the male employee involved only received an oral warning. After the arbitration she received her job back but failed to receive any compensation.

The case is seeking both compensation and punitive damages. A Kraft Foods spokesman said, "We believe this complaint is without merit. I can assure you that Kraft Foods complies with all applicable employment laws. We will vigorously defend ourselves in this matter."

Continue reading "Well known Coffee Company Maxwell House Faced with Equality lawsuit" »

Every day many of us have to go to work to support ourselves and our families. When we are at work, we expect to be treated with respect by our coworkers, our bosses and the company we work for. Unfortunately in many places across the country and even right here in Tennessee that is not always the case. Many employees face discrimination and some of it may just be because of their gender.

A jury recently found the company Novartis Pharmaceuticals, guilty of gender discrimination in issues involving pay, promotions, and pregnancy. This was a nation wide class action suit of 5,600 female sales representatives making it the largest gender discrimination case to go to verdict.

The jury also awarded the twelve testifying witnesses 3.36 million in compensatory damages for the specific instances of discrimination that those witnesses testified to. That was also just the beginning of the money that will be awarded as a result of the verdict. Other punitive damage amounts are being decided on today, Tuesday May 18, 2010. Finally, in separate hearings, compensatory damages for each member of the class action that opts in will be decided on.
In this case, the judge, Judge McMahon, also gets to decide what orders to give to Novartis to change its policies and procedures to in order to help prevent more discrimination in the future. This case included female sales representatives that worked for Novartis between 2002 and 2007.

The jury stated that what they learned from this case is that you would not “want your wife, your mother, your sister or your daughter to work," for this company.

Continue reading "Gender Discrimination Case against Novartis is won by Female Sales Representatives " »