Workers Gassed By Their Own Employer During Protest In Oakland, Lawsuit Says
Five New Jersey employees say they were gassed by their own employer while picketing at an industrial facility, twice in two states, according to a lawsuit filed in Bergen County Superior Court this week.
The plaintiffs, all employees of Airgas USA, LLC and members of Local 701 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), allege in court papers filed Wednesday, Aug. 6, that they were “engaged in lawful and peaceful picketing activity” outside Airgas locations in Oakland, NJ and Peoria, IL in July when they were engulfed by an unknown chemical plume.
The lawsuit names defendants “Joh…
Starbucks Baristas Strike Nationwide Over New Dress Code, Demand Workplace Improvements
Hundreds of Starbucks baristas are on strike, protesting new dress code rules they say distract from bigger issues like low pay, understaffing, and delayed union contracts.
The strike has been led by Starbucks Workers United, the union representing about 11,000 employees at more than 570 stores. The movement opposes Starbucks' new policy requiring North American employees to wear solid black shirts with khaki, black, or blue denim bottoms.
The dress code officially went into effect on Monday, May 12.
"We're not just walking out over a shirt color," the union said in a Facebook po…
NJ Magazine Distributor Ordered To Pay $300K In Back Wages, Penalties: Attorney General
A New Jersey magazine and newspaper distributor will be paying nearly $300,000 in back wages and penalties after misclassifying employees as independent contractors, authorities said.
The New Jersey Department of Labor began investigating NJ Penn, which has offices in Jersey City, and determined that between 2018 and 2022, NJ Penn misclassified at least 105 newspaper delivery, warehouse, and other workers as independent contractors instead of employees, in violation of New Jersey law, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office said.
NJ Penn violated numerous labor laws, including failing to p…
CT Sports Bar Ordered To Pay Over $359K To Employees After Retaliating Against Them: Feds
A Connecticut sports bar and its owner have been ordered to pay over $359,000 in back pay and damages to employees after taking retaliatory action against them, federal officials announced.
A New Haven County sports bar formerly located in Milford, Champions Grill and Bar, was ordered to pay employees a total of $359,485 in back pay, emotional distress damages, withheld compensation, and punitive damages for violating provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and Occupational Safety and Health Act, the US Department of Labor announced on Wednesday, Feb. 7.
The order follows a lawsuit…
