New York Employment Lawyer Blog

The EEOC filed a suit on behalf of Rena Flores, who worked as a secretary at the Oakdale Collision Center. The manager of the store allegedly made comments to Flores and other Mexican employees stating that they were “smelly,” “greasy,” and “wetbacks.”

The manager also reportedly made sexually inappropriate comments such as “women should clean the bathrooms, not men,” and “women belong barefoot and pregnant.”

When Flores complained to higher level managers about this manager’s behavior, the company allegedly retaliated against her by terminating her employment. Such a retaliatory action is prohibited by the various human rights laws.

EEOC Regional Attorney William R. Tamayo noted, “All workers have a federally protected right to a workplace free from unlawful discrimination. In addition, workers have the right to report discrimination without fear of reprisal.”

The full press release can be found here.

Catherine Herridge, a reporter at Fox News, claims that she was subjected to gender and age discrimination and that when she complained to Fox, she suffered from retaliation. Fox News denies these charges.

In 2008, Herridge's employment contract was up for renewal. Fox insisted on putting language in her employment contract which would restrict her from making any employment discrimination complaints in the future. Because she refused to sign the contract with such language included, Fox claims she became an "at-will" employee without any job protections.

It was only after Herridge filed a charge of discrimination with the EEOC, and an EEOC investigator conducted an on-site investigation, that Fox agreed to take out the retaliatory language and presented Herridge with a new employment contract.

Schwartz & Perry specializes in claims involving employment discrimination in all its forms. Additional information is available on our website, at www.schwartzandperry.com.

Three women, who were formerly employed by Goldman Sachs, have brought a lawsuit against the investment bank claiming gender discrimination in its hiring, compensation, and promotion practices.

According to the suit filed in Manhattan Federal Court, Goldman Sachs “systematically discriminates” against its female employees. The plaintiffs cite statistics that confirm the lack of women in management positions. For example, women make up only 29 percent of Goldman Sachs’ vice presidents, 17 percent of managing directors, and 14 percent of its partners. In the last decade, Wall Street firms have seen a steady increase in gender discrimination lawsuits.

Other companies who have recently found themselves in court defending against gender discrimination lawsuits have been Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley. In 2004, Morgan Stanley settled a sexual discrimination lawsuit for $54 million.

Addtional information regarding these claims can be found here.

According to a release by the EEOC, a supervisor of the company disparaged a tour coordinator who, because of a physical impairment, had difficulty walking. Some of the remarks by the supervisor included “If you cannot walk straight, you cannot work at the hotel” and “You are selfish for making other people have to watch you limp."

The victim and a fellow employee complained of the harassment to the vice president but no corrective action was taken. To the contrary, both the victim and the fellow employee were harassed and discriminated further, to the point were they were forced to quit.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing on behalf of the plaintiff.

Additional information can be found here.

According to the U. S. Government Accountability Office report, "Women in Management: Analysis of Female Managers’ Representation, Characteristics, and Pay," there have been very few changes for women in the workforce in terms of compensation. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney stated: "[W]e’re closing the educational gap but we’re not closing the pay gap."

Based on the report, there only has been a 1% increase in the number of female managers from 39% percent in 2000 to 40% in 2007. Although the pay gap for female managers shrunk by 2 cents from 2000 to 2007, women are still earning only 81 cents for every dollar compared to male managers. This number is even lower for working mothers in management, which is only 79 cents for every dollar earned as compared to their male colleagues.

The report also shows that married female managers, on average, contribute only 55% to their household income, whereas male managers contribute 75% to their household income. The disparity between the numbers exists despite the fact that there are more and more females who are earning their college and graduate degrees and who have the same qualifications as their male counterparts.