Forty-eight-year-old Sylvia Lind, the highest-ranking Hispanic woman in a management position at Major League Baseball, said in a lawsuit she filed against the organization on December 11 that she has faced discrimination in the league for over two decades, the Associated Press reported.
According to the lawsuit, Lind, who is currently the MLB’s director of baseball initiatives in the Office of the Commissioner, said she has been passed over for promotions and has been consistently underpaid since 1995. She also claimed to experience a hostile work environment because of her age. The lawsuit also asserted that Frank Robinson, former hall of fame player, was appointed the executive vice president of baseball development despite a lack of qualifications and is paid over $1 million annually.
If you believe you are experiencing discrimination or a hostile work environment in Austin, the attorneys at the The Melton Law Firm may be able to advocate on your behalf. Call our offices at (512) 330-0017 today to learn about your legal options.
A new study entitled, “Gender, Job Authority, and Depression,” which will be published in the December issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, revealed that women who work in higher authority posts are more prone to exhibiting signs of depression than their male counterparts.
Co-written by Tetyana Pudrovska and Amelia Karraker, sociologist from the University of Texas at Austin and assistant professor at the Iowa State University, the study took into account data from the past 50 years. As women are elevated into higher workplace positions, they are more likely to face harmful stereotypes and experience greater challenges to their authority.
Pudrovska said the study highlights societal and cultural forces that remain prevalent despite an effort to create greater gender equality in the workplace.
Our attorneys at the The Melton Law Firm in Austin, handle employment concerns, including discrimination in the workplace based on gender. If you believe you have a case, contact our offices at (512) 330-0017 today to learn about your legal options.
Federal Judge Lee Yeakel recently resolved discrimination investigations beginning in April 2013 by signing a decree between the City of Austin in Texas and the Department of Justice concerning the state fire department’s hiring procedures, KXAN reported on November 7.
Results from the investigation prompted Yeakel to agree that discrimination was present in the hiring process and beyond. The decree requires the Austin department to hire 30 minority applicants who pass newly revised examinations. Those who are chosen will additionally receive $780,000 each in back pay.
On the other hand, the local firefighters’ union objected to the decree, claiming that empirical proof of intentional bias on the city’s part had not been present nor proven. It was also claimed that the exams were fair and non-discriminatory. Regardless, the decree will be put into effect.
The attorneys at the The Melton Law Firm know that, unfortunately, discrimination in hiring practices and employment is not uncommon. However, there are legal methods of recourse. Call our offices in Austin at (512) 330-0017 today to learn about your legal options.
The United States Department of Labor reported on October 23 that AT&T Prime Communications, an authorized dealer for AT&T wireless communication plans and products, must pay $122,254 in back wages to roughly 255 former and current employees after the Labor department investigated it for alleged wage violations.
According to the department, the company violated wage regulations by not including commissions earned by hourly paid employees when computing for overtime pay.
Cynthia Watson, regional administrator for the Labor department’s wage and hour division in the Southwest, said that the Fair Labor Standards Act has been in place for 75 years, and all employers should have been fully aware of the regulations. The FLSA offers many protections for the rights of workers, including overtime, minimum wage, and accurate record-keeping.
AT&T Prime Communications operates 385 outlets in 17 states.
If you believe your employer has violated your rights in any way, contact the attorneys at the The Melton Law Firm in Austin today by calling (512) 330-0017 to learn about your legal options.
The United States Supreme Court will be hearing a religious discrimination case against retailer Abercrombie & Fitch next term, Texas Public Radio reported on October 2.
According to Bloomberg, 17-year-old Samantha Elauf applied for a sales job at an Abercrombie store in 2008. Although the assistant manager scored her style points high enough to be hired, the manager’s supervisor claimed that the head scarf did not meet Abercrombie’s look policy, and Elauf was not hired.
A district court ruled that Elauf was discriminated against, but an appeals court reversed that decision. This is not the first religious discrimination case that Abercrombie & Fitch has faced. In 2013, the company fired an employee who wore a hijab and allegedly did not adequately conform to the store’s style policy.
If your employer has engaged in any discriminatory behavior towards you in Austin, the experienced employment law attorneys at the The Melton Law Firm may help you fight back. Call our offices at (512) 330-0017 today to learn more.
Choreographer Kevin Wilson, along with backup dancers Suzanne Easter and Jacquelyn Dowsett Ballinger, filed a wrongful termination lawsuit on September 18 against 68-year-old singer and actress Cherilyn “Cher” Sarkisian due to alleged racial and age discrimination, the Associated Press reported.
Wilson and Easter believe that race was a factor in their dismissal, while Ballinger, 42, alleged that she was fired because of her age. Wilson said while he was employed, Cher told him not to hire any more black dancers because her shows already had “too much color.”
The trio seeks $10 million in damages from the suit.
An employer doesn’t have the privilege to terminate the employment of his workers on a whim; there are rules that need to be followed for a termination to be considered legitimate. If you are working in Austin and you think your termination was unlawful or unjust, contact our attorneys at the The Melton Law Firm by calling (512) 330-0017 today, and learn about your legal options.
Dallas-based catering service Culinaire International has reached a settlement with the United States Department of Justice and agreed to pay $26,460 for allegedly discriminating against employees based on citizenship status, an article on Justice News Flash reported on September 3.
According to a report by The Daily Caller, Culinaire International allegedly mandated employees to produce additional, unnecessary proof of their eligibility to work in the United States.
Culinaire is also set to form a compensation fund to pay those who may have been economic victims of its actions, change its work eligibility verification process, and mandate its management to attend training and seminars on Immigration and Nationality Act anti-discrimination laws.
Any form of discrimination, when it directly interferes with the prospects of an employee to grow in his workplace, is unlawful. If you have experienced this in Austin or other areas of Texas, enlist the legal help of our attorneys at the The Melton Law Firm by calling our offices at (512) 330-0017 today.
University of Texas regents recently passed new regulations that prohibit relationships between employees and students, 18 months after two of its coaches were revealed to have engaged in sexual activity with student athletes, the Houston Chronicle reported on August 22.
According to a press release from the UT System Board of Regents, the amendments prohibit even consensual relationships between faculty or staff and students, in order to prevent any possible abuse of power situation. Relationships can be approved if a plan of action to prevent conflicts is designed and agreed upon.
In November 2012, coach Bev Kearney reported a relationship that occurred ten years previously and was forced to resign. Coach Major Applewhite, however, revealed a one-time sexual encounter with a student and received a reprimand. Kearney has filed a gender discrimination and wrongful termination suit against the school.
The attorneys at the The Melton Law Firm know that in many cases, employers do wrong by their employees, through discrimination, wrongful termination, sexual harassment, or something else. Our Austin legal team is dedicated to holding employers responsible when they act unlawfully. Contact our offices at (512) 330-0017 today to discuss your case.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans recently reversed a district court decision in a lawsuit regarding Title VII religious discrimination and retaliation claims in a suit filed by plaintiff Lois Davis against Fort Bend County, Texas.
According to court reports, Davis started working as a desktop support supervisor for Fort Bend in 2007 and was supervised by Charles Cook, the information technology director. In 2010, Davis reported Cook for sexually harassing and assaulting her, which led to Cook’s resignation. After Cook resigned, Davis said Cook’s personal friend at the company, and another one of Davis’ supervisors, Kenneth Ford, began retaliating against her, culminating in her termination in 2011.
Davis filed retaliation and religious discrimination charges against Fort Bend after the event in the district court, which ruled that Davis failed to prove that her termination was an act of retaliation for her earlier complaints against Cook, or that Ford’s actions caused her suffering or embarrassment. The Court of Appeals ruled that religious discrimination could have occurred and that the lower court dismissed this claim irresponsibly.
The attorneys at the The Melton Law Firm help clients who are discriminated against by their employers who reside in Austin or other areas of Texas. Call our offices today at (512) 330-0017 to discuss your own situation.
Donald Austin filed a lawsuit for wrongful termination against Texas-based oil and gas drilling manufacturer Permian Tank & Manufacturing, Permian Holdings, Lide Industries, and Lide employee Dennis Pusser on August 6 for allegedly firing him after he refused to join in the company’s pollution violations and cover-up, Courthouse News Service reported on August 7.
PermianLide apparently contaminated ground and water with pollutants, and Austin refused to participate in covering this up; he claimed he would have violated the Clean Water Act. Austin also asserted that Pusser, his superior, assaulted him during their confrontation, and that the company refuses to return several power tools Austin owns.
Under state and federal law, Texas employees have protection under labor and employment laws. If you are working in Texas and you believe your rights as an employee are being undermined, call the Austin-based attorneys of The Melton Law Firm at (512) 330-0017, and learn how we can help you pursue legal action.
