Rochester Employment & Immigration Blawg

Governor Cuomo recently signed into law several bills that enhance workers' rights. Two of those law prohibit wage differentials based on protected class status and bar employer's inquiries about an employee's salary history. I had the opportunity to participate in a conversation with Evan Dawson on WXXI's Connections discussing pay inequality issues related to local broadcaster's salary disparity with her male co-host. Feel free to click on the link below to the conversat...

Using marijuana in a state where it's legal doesn't work as a defense in states (like NY) where recreational marijuana is not legal.

Workers get significantly more under the final version of the settlement.

Home Health Care Workers that worked for Rochester, New York based Home Health Care Agency -- Angels in Your Home are eligible to participate in a class action lawsuit for unpaid overtime wages.  The lawsuit was conditionally certified as a collective action pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act.  There are over 1,000 current and former Angels in Your Home employees who eligible to participate in the lawsuit.  Julie Sherwood a reporter for Messenger Post Media wrote an newspape...

Many employees do not know that they have relatively few free speech rights at the workplace.  In fact, the First Amendment of the United States Constitution offers very limited protections for employees who want to express themselves at work.  I had the opportunity to participate in a conversation with Evan Dawson's on WXXI's Connections to discuss the exact limitations on employees' free speech rights in the workplace.  Click on the link below to listen to the conver...

A Court found that home health care workers who work 24-hour shifts must be paid minimum wage and can proceed with a class action lawsuit.  This is great news for the tens of thousands of home health care workers in New York State who take care of elderly and disabled people.   Please click on the link below to learn more about the Court's ruling:NY Daily Record: Home Health Care Rulings Impact Likely Smaller Here

A Google employee was fired from his job for criticizing the company's hiring practices.   I had the opportunity to participate in a conversation with Evan Dawson on WXXI's Connections discussing the race and gender issues related to the employee's termination.  Feel free to click on the link below to listen to the conversation:WXXI Connections with Evan Dawson: Reactions to the Memo about Race and Gender at Google

Hourly employees who worked at Esperanza Mansion as banquet servers, bussers and bartenders have settled a class action lawsuit alleging violations of New York Labor Law.  The workers' complaint filed in New York State Supreme Court - Yates County detailed that Esperanza Mansion charged customers for mandatory service charges for banquet events and weddings but the banquet workers never received those mandatory charges.  To learn more about this case please click on the link below:...

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") recently issued probable cause determinations on behalf of Town of Henrietta employees.  The allegations of workplace discrimination stem from actions and comments by the Town Supervisor.  I had the opportunity to participate in a conversation with Evan Dawson host of WXXI's Connections. Below please find the link to listen to the program where I discuss the role the EEOC plays in vindicating workplace rights and the me...

 $10.50 in New York City and $9.75 for the rest of New York State for 2016 -- are the new minimum wage rate for fast food workers that was phased in on December 31, 2015. These new minimum wage rates apply to fast food establishments that primarily serve food or drinks such as coffee shops, juice shops, donut shops and ice cream parlors where customers order and pay before eating and is part of a chain of 30 or more locations, including individually owned establishments associated with a brand t...