Los Angeles Employment Law Blog

In 2000, individuals over the age of 65 made up about 12 percent of the United States population. By 2050, it is expected that roughly 22 percent of those living in California and throughout America will be over the age of 65. Therefore, it may be necessary for individuals to spend additional years in the workforce. However, most people still prefer to start collecting Social Security benefits at age 62.

California employees may be familiar with forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts. These clauses require workers to resolve disputes with employers by going before an arbitrator. In many cases, employees’ odds of winning are lower when compared to taking a case to court. They may also receive less compensation than they might be entitled to in a court case. A group of Google employees is looking to call attention to the issue of forced arbitration through a social media event.

Older workers in California and around the country have voiced complaints in recent years about age discrimination in the technology center. International Business Machines Corporation is known more for blue suits than beanbag chairs, but it too has been accused of treating its older workers unfairly. On Dec. 21, a 57-year-old former IBM sales director filed a lawsuit alleging the New York-based company has a longstanding and pervasive culture of discrimination that targets employees over 50 years of age.

While most sexual harassment lawsuits in California and around the country are filed against male coworkers or supervisors, this isn’t always the case. One such recent case involves a middle-aged man who was fired by the Disney Cruise Line after working for the company for 18 years as a labor analyst. Disney claims the man was terminated for using illegal substances, but he says that he lost his job after complaining about the way he was being treated by his younger female manager.

If you are like most California employees, you probably dread going to work some days. Unfortunately, few, if any, people can honestly say that they consistently love going to work. Most workplaces have at least one or two people who make work life difficult for others either via general negativity or outright harassment. 

In general, doctors in California and other parts of the country are among the highest earners in the United States. However, results from a survey published in a leading medical journal show that more than a third of doctors questioned who are also mothers face some type of discrimination in the workplace. And it’s mainly because they have children. The anonymous survey is based on comments from approximately 6,000 respondents.

California employees who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should be aware of discrimination laws concerning the legality of firing a pregnant employee. For example, an employer may illegally attempt to force a pregnant employee to take an unpaid leave of absence or risk losing her job.

Workers in California should understand that discrimination based on gender is illegal. A company called KPMG was the subject of a lawsuit in 2011 claiming that men and women were paid differently. It also claimed that there were disparities in how men and women were promoted. The case won conditional collection action status under the Equal Pay Act in 2014. A motion was filed in November 2018 to get class certification for plaintiffs in the case.