212.627.8100

Author Archives: Levy Ratner

Carl J. Levine’s Keynote at National Center Conference

Carl J. Levine, whose practice includes representing full-time and part-time faculty members, graduate student employees and professional staff members at institutions of higher education, participated as a panelist this March at the Annual Conference of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions. His panel presentation addressed “Contingent…

Levy Ratner Women Participate in the “A Day Without A Woman” Strike

In a statement of economic solidarity, women of Levy Ratner went on strike March 8, International Women’s Day, for equity, justice and human rights.  “We know all too well that women continue to face unequal wages, sexual harassment, discrimination and job insecurity,” says Gwynne A. Wilcox, whose practice on behalf of working people has lifted…

NLRB Backs Graduate Student Unions at Private Universities

The NLRB has ruled that graduate student employees at Columbia University and other private universities have the right to form or join a union and bargain collectively, reversing a 2004 Brown University decision. Levy Ratner’s Carl Levine, who devotes a large portion of his practice to representing faculty members and unions at colleges and universities,…

Daniel Engelstein Takes on Mandatory Arbitration

Mandatory arbitration of employment claims raises concerns about implicit biases and other cognitive habits that are likely to negatively affect employee claimants. At NYU’s 69th Annual Conference on Labor, Danny Engelstein took on this practice and proposed solutions.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

New York City passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, Local Law 78, in 2013, expanding rights previously granted by the New York City Human Right Law (NYCHRL).[1] Pregnancy discrimination is discrimination based on gender. On May 6, 2016, the New York City Human Rights Commission issued legal enforcement guidance on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act….

Levy Ratner Wins Over Domino’s Pizza’s Unlawful Arbitration Agreement

The Fast Food Workers Committee, represented by LR’s Micah Wissinger and Gwynne Wilcox, earned a major win in their fight on behalf of fast food workers nationally. In December 2015, the NLRB ruled that Domino’s violated the law by maintaining an arbitration agreement that required employees, as a condition of employment, to waive their rights…

When Employers Cite HIPAA, Unions Have the Law on Their Side

Management attorneys often use HIPAA as a basis to refuse to provide requested information. While HIPAA generally prohibits disclosure of protected health information, there is an explicit exception for employment records held by a covered entity in its role as employer. Thus, the HIPAA privacy rule generally does not apply to information requested in connection…

Daniel J. Ratner Named Fellow of College of Labor & Employment Lawyers

The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, which honors leading lawyers nationwide in the practice of Labor and Employment Law, has inducted Daniel J. Ratner as a Fellow. In the words of former NLRB Chairman John Truesdale, induction into the College is reserved for those “whose professional achievements symbolize the highest level of expertise, integrity and…