What is the Importance of Employment Litigation?

Being fired from a job is a stressful experience for anyone. Unemployment can lead to bankruptcy, untreated medical issues, and even homelessness. People are fired every day and sometimes the reasons they are let go do not have to do with job performance.

When an employee is wrongfully terminated, it is very important that they are able to sue. Lawsuits can not only bring financial compensation to those who deserve it, but they can also draw awareness of corruption and injustice that exist in certain industries and corporations. The United States has laws protecting the rights of workers and if you feel you have been unjustly fired, you may want to consider a lawsuit.

Sadly, there was a period of American history in which slavery and indentured servitude were a normal part of the way businesses and the government operated. Although slavery may have ended in 1865, there was still plenty of unfairness experienced by the American worker. Employment laws and litigation were imperative in creating justice for workers.

Important Employment Laws

Throughout history lawyers, lawmakers and workers have fought to make things better for both blue and white-collar workers. 1935 brought the National Labor Relations Act, which allowed workers to organize into unions, take part in collective bargaining and go on strike.

The law was challenged in 1937 when the company Laughlin Steel refused to comply with a National Labor Relations Board order to rehire employees who were fired for unionizing. The Supreme Court upheld the NLRB order in a landmark decision.

In 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act established a federal minimum wage,  a 40 hour work week, and an 8-hour workday.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 abolished discrimination against race, sex or religion or national origin in public places and in government jobs. The act has been amended many times over the years and now includes protection for private-sector employees.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 made it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee based on a physical or mental disability. A person with a disability may be refused employment if it is impossible for the company to make reasonable accommodations for that person to do a job.

Why You May Need to Litigate

Just because labor laws exist does not mean that corporations in the United States comply with them. If you have been discriminated against, forced to work overtime without being compensated or fired for attempting to organize your fellow workers, you should talk to a labor lawyer who can tell you if your claim has merit and if you should move forward with a lawsuit.

Example Cases

If you think a lawsuit won’t do any good, think again. There are some employment lawsuits that have been quite lucrative.

In the year 2000, the Coca Cola Corporation was ordered to pay $113 million in damages as well as $43.5 million in adjusted salaries to a group of black salaried employees who claimed they were discriminated against in terms of wages and promotions.

In 2013 Henry’s Turkey Service was ordered to pay $240 million in damages to a group of disabled men who were physically abused and underpaid on the job. The now-defunct company was paying the men as little as $2.00 an hour.

Although it may seem frightening at first, it is always important to fight back against discrimination at work. If you live in Texas and think you may have a case, you can click here to learn more.

Authoritative Sources:
http://www.nlrb.gov/how-we-work/national-labor-relations-act
http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/5-1-13b.cfm