Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Is Workplace Bullying Illegal In California?
Anyone who has ever experienced bullying can testify to the fact that it amounts to far more than an annoyance. Bullying can have long-term negative effects on a person’s mental health and emotional well-being. Bullying can even manifest in physical conditions, such as tension headaches, migraines, and nausea, as well as anxiety disorders. Bullying… Read More »
Can California Employers Require You To Get Vaccinated?
Employers have many reasons for wanting employees to get vaccinated. Particularly in service industry jobs and front-line positions, vaccinations can reduce liability for employers by protecting both customers and employees. However, even in office settings, vaccines provide protection for immuno-compromised employees and protect against the spread of an infection in an enclosed space that… Read More »
Silicon Valley’s Algorithmic Bias Has Detrimental Impact On Marginalized Job Applicants
A slew of recent incidents has drawn attention to a host of issues within artificial intelligence video-interviewing software which points to algorithmic bias favoring white, male applicants. The MIT Technology Review recently published a study on the ways that many of the nation’s top job search engines have been working to try and eliminate… Read More »
Report Finds Silicon Valley Wealth Inequality And Racial Discrimination Have Gone From “Bad To Horrific” During Covid-19
The Silicon Valley Pain Index for 2021 has revealed that wealth inequality and racial discrimination in Silicon Valley have only gotten worse since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The report highlights that while the situation was already bad in Silicon Valley, the pandemic has caused these troubling metrics to become “horrific,” with increases… Read More »
Google Hit With Lawsuit Over Claims it Violated California’s Equal Pay Act
Tech giant Google suffered a setback in California state court earlier this week when a judge awarded class-action status to a lawsuit alleging Google paying its male employees more than its female employees. The case, initially filed in 2017 by four female California employees, who cited violations of the equal pay act, alleges Google… Read More »
91% Of Transgender Employees Face Workplace Discrimination And Harassment
June may have been Pride Month, but these statistics are nothing to be proud of. It’s no secret LGBTQIA+ individuals face countless obstacles in the professional world. In fact, there have been a rash of recent lawsuits based on harassment and discrimination against gay, lesbian, and transgender employees. Sadly, this is nothing new. A… Read More »
Title IX Protections Now Extended To Transgender Students
Pride month got a little brighter with news of expanded federal protections for gay and transgender students. Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Education extended federal anti-discrimination laws on the basis of sex to include gay and transgender students. This is a significant shift from prior policy, which banned transgender girls from playing… Read More »
Asian Elder Abuse, Hate Crimes On The Rise In California
Recently two elderly Asian women, aged 63 and 84, were stabbed without warning while waiting for a bus in downtown San Francisco. Witnesses describe a man approaching the women with a large knife and attacking them suddenly from behind before walking away as though nothing had happened. The attacker was identified as 54-year-old San… Read More »
How To Recognize Elder Abuse
Abuse can be hard to spot, and that is particularly true for the elderly. The elderly are especially vulnerable to abuse, and sadly, it often occurs at the hands of those who they are most reliant on. Legally, elder abuse occurs when an individual over 60 years of age is neglected or harmed. Elderly… Read More »
A Guide To California Workplace Protections For LGBTQ+ Employees
June is Pride Month and in order to celebrate, we at Costanzo Law wanted to put together a guide for LGBTQIA+ employees. In California, state and federal laws make it possible to be out, proud, and protected from discrimination and harassment in the workplace. In fact, both the California Fair Employment and Housing Act… Read More »
