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Artnet and other news outlets have identified a rising trend: museum workers across the country are unionizing. These acts of organizing in the art world have been framed as a movement sweeping the nation, yet the complexities of unionization for professionals and institutions have remained opaque. This panel discussion will examine the contemporary state of…
Category Archives: News & Commentary
Fight for $15
In our role representing the Fast Food Workers Committee, Levy Ratner attorneys helped structure successful workplace actions and demonstrations in New York City that formed a foundation for the national living‑wage movement known as Fight for $15. Micah Wissinger was one of the architects of landmark litigation before the National Labor Relations Board involving McDonald’s Corporation and…
Levy Ratner Champions the Rights of Low‑Wage Workers in Alabama
This case began in 2015 when the Alabama state legislature passed a bill to block the Birmingham City Council’s attempt to raise the minimum wage in Birmingham to $10.10. The wage increase would have made Birmingham the first city in the South to raise its minimum wage. The legislature’s decision to block the wage increase,…
Black and Latino Electricians Win Racial Discrimination Case
The City of New York agreed to pay $155,000, plus attorneys’ fees, to five black and Latino electricians in their claims of race discrimination and retaliation against the FDNY. They were represented by Levy Ratner’s Dana E. Lossia and Robert H. Stroup.
Restaurant Workers Awarded $400k in Wage Violation Case
When seven restaurant workers sued their employer for claims of unpaid overtime and minimum wage violations, Levy Ratner’s Allyson L. Belovin reached a settlement of more than $400,000 on their behalf. Judge Ronnie Abrams of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, awarded the plaintiffs’ recoveries ranging from $15,700 up to $85,650 each,…
Women Stand Up Against Cleveland Fire Department Job Discrimination
Cleveland’s written and physical tests for firefighter jobs discriminate against women, found the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, based upon charges filed by Levy Ratner’s Dana Lossia and Rebekah Cook-Mack, along with our co-counsel at Nichols Kaster, PLLP. Our clients are women who were unfairly disqualified in the testing process and are demanding fair hiring…
In-Depth Case Study: Fire Department of New York
Roughly 25% of New York City residents are African American, but for decades the FDNY’s firefighting force was only around 3% black. Levy Ratner began investigating this disparity and learned that the City’s hiring process was systematically excluding black firefighter candidates who were well qualified to serve their City. Our clients – a group of…
NY New Law Makes Sexual Harassment & Discrimination Claims Easier
In June, the New York State legislature significantly lowered the legal bar for employees to sue their employers if they have been subjected to sexual harassment or other forms of workplace discrimination. Previously, New York State law tracked federal law when it came to the standard for showing unlawful discrimination. Under Federal law, employees must…
New York City Lactation Room Laws Go Into Effect
On March 18, 2019, new laws went into effect in New York City requiring lactation rooms in certain City spaces, requiring employers to provide lactation rooms, and requiring employers to implement a lactation room accommodation policy. Employers in New York City must now provide a lactation room that is within a reasonable proximity to employees’…
Settling Employee Faces Jail for Breaking Non-Disparagement Agreement
Many negotiated severance agreements contain confidentiality provisions and non-disparagement clauses. In a reminder that these provisions must be taken seriously, a federal judge has held a former Genzyme Corp. employee in contempt – with the possibility of incarceration – for her repeated refusals to comply with those provisions of her settlement agreement with Genzyme. This…