A group of three women who work at the United Parcel Service’s Oakland hub have filed a federal lawsuit against the company. They claim that women employees are routinely relegated to dead-end jobs with lower pay and fewer opportunities for advancement. They are...
Year: 2021
What counts as a disability for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act?
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects students from discrimination in programs and activities that receive federal funding. The law applies to public school districts, colleges and universities and other state and local educational institutions. The...
What does the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act do?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is one of our nation’s most important education laws. It requires that all children be given a free appropriate public education (FAPE) by ensuring that qualifying students with disabilities receive special...
NLRB: Private college athletes are employees and can unionize
The term “student athlete” was created essentially to hide the fact that college-level athletes are actually employees, according to the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). In fact, she threatened to take action against colleges and...
Student athletes now eligible for pay. They should be represented.
After winning three Olympic medals, gymnast Sunisa Lee will head to Auburn University this fall as one of the first athletes eligible to receive endorsement deals without sacrificing their amateur status. She might receive a substantial amount of money – if she’s...
Worked through your breaks? You may be entitled to back overtime
If your boss has expected you to work without breaks or through your allotted lunch period, you could be entitled to back pay at the overtime premium rate. Recently, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that workers who miss meal or rest breaks are due “one...
What does California’s CROWN Act do?
It doesn’t make much sense to prohibit discrimination based on race if we still allow discrimination based on race-based characteristics. The CROWN (“Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair”) Act, which was passed in California in 2019, is an attempt to...
What does illegal workplace race discrimination actually look like?
Race discrimination by employers is prohibited by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act and Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. It is illegal for employers to discriminate in any aspect of employment, from the initial job advertisement and...
When your employer retaliates after you assert your rights
Under both California and federal anti-discrimination laws, it is illegal for an employer to retaliate against an employee who makes a discrimination or harassment complaint. For example, if you made a discrimination complaint or assisted with one, it would generally...
Department of Education: Title IX protects transgender students
Title IX of the federal Education Amendments of 1972 was passed to prohibit sex-based discrimination in schools that receive federal funding. Recently, it has been open to question whether Title IX should be read to protect gay and transgender students from...