Tag Archives: employee rights

Sea Where Your Food Comes From

Seafood packaging conditions

Regardless of the Alaskan state law that protects employees from becoming subjected to false representations of prospective employment, the seafood processing industry has allegedly marketed jobs as high paying and exciting. Specifically, plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit are accusing North Pacific Seafoods, Inc. of convincing over 800 seasonal workers to fly to Alaska to take part in cleaning, filleting, packaging, freezing, and canning seafood at the company’s plants. Despite what might have been promised, the employees who are seeking compensation are recounting tales of unpaid wages and horrifically unsafe working conditions. Continue reading →

A Major Problem in a Minor League

Home run for minor leaguers

In a bill passed by Congress in March 2018, there is a short section entitled “Save America’s Pastime Act,” which intends to prevent minor league players from taking legal action against Major League Baseball. The Act ensures minor league baseball players are paid federal minimum wages for a 40-hour work week; however, they are not guaranteed overtime pay. The MLB’s push for this Act came in response to a federal class action lawsuit filed in 2014 on behalf of 45 minor league baseball players who alleged they did not receive fair wages. Continue reading →

Employees Gain Support in Casino Discrimination Claim

Weighing the evidence

A lawsuit ten years in the making, five former Atlantic City Borgata Casino cocktail waitresses finally have the chance to speak at trial in defense of their gender discrimination claim. In their argument, the christened “Borgata Babes” faced a hostile work environment, in which they were forced to adhere to certain weight requirements. In the event of pregnancies or adverse health conditions, the women were either suspended for their weight gain or were pressured into ceasing medications that contributed to the weight gain. As part of their job, the cocktail waitresses were subjected to routine weigh-ins, and were forbidden to gain more than 7% of their weight from when they started working as a Babe. While some contend that this policy is discriminatory to women, others believe these employees were fully aware of the policies before commencing employment. A jury will be left to decide their fate. Continue reading →

FDA and USDA Employees Finally Receive Basic Right

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Soon to be food

Some government employees are finally allowed to exercise the right to voice their concerns in a consequence free environment now that President Obama signed the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (WPEA). This act will help resolve the issue of the FDA and USDA intimidating their employees to keep their concerns quiet. Since employees of these government agencies feared retaliation for speaking out against their employer, many have sat idly by while they believed public health was at risk. The consequence of demotion, firing, or relocation was enough for employees to keep their opposition to themselves. However, the WPEA has now been signed and FDA and USDA employees are officially free to voice their concerns to supervisors without the possibility of unfair retaliation. This is a step in the right direction for honest and healthy working conditions in an industry that has a big impact on the food we eat.