Although workplace discrimination and harassment are illegal in California and throughout the United States, it still happens in many places of employment.
What does the lawsuit claim?
A former Vera Wang store seamstress filed a lawsuit for discrimination due to her age and disability status. The former employee, 64 years old, stated that her position required her to work on up to 17 dressed per day.
The lawsuit alleges age discrimination, disability discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination.
What else happened to the former employee?
The former Vera Wang employee was hired in 2010 and had strict deadlines regarding her work as a seamstress. She was frequently given extra work that required her to continue working well past her eight-hour shift, according to the lawsuit. She was also responsible for training new employees.
Because of her heavy workload at the store, the woman suffered some on-the-job injuries. Two of the more serious of those injuries affected her hip and her arm, which was dislocated. She stated that the store’s management knew about her injuries but did nothing to address them and instead, gave her work while she was out on vacation leave.
Four years into her employment, the woman had to work on 17 dresses in a single day. Meanwhile, other seamstresses only received seven, according to the lawsuit. She was told that customers requested her by name. However, that same year, she had to take time off to heal from knee surgery after being involved in a car accident. The response she received from store management was to wait.
In 2016, the woman took medical leave for a few months after undergoing heart surgery. When she returned, she was given too much work in spite of requesting less. The store manager favored younger employees and often harassed her, according to the suit. The plaintiff was even asked when she was going to retire.
After having another surgery, this time on her knee, she was terminated. The store claimed that her position had been cut.
No one should experience discrimination and harassment at work. If you have dealt with these issues, you should hold your employer liable.