For most of American history, employers could fire their charges for any reason, or sometimes for no given reason at all. It took dozens of small advances over hundreds of years, from the creation of legal unions to the explicit legal recognition of gender and race equity, for employees to expect better across all industries.
California has been at the lead in recent years, affirming more workers’ rights than many states in the United States and several nations of the world. But challenges still remain for workers and managers in the Golden State, and some employees and former employees must file suits against wrongful termination to be made whole after their rights have been violated.
A former janitor at a Berkeley-based real estate company is suing her previous employers, alleging that she was subjected to sexual harassment by her direct supervisor before being fired for rejecting his advances.
The suit includes description of inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace, such as the supervisor rubbing and touching his former employee. She also claimed he gratified himself in the office while staring at her body.
The employee was one of several who apparently complained to a female supervisor about the man’s behavior. She was told to ignore it, and dismissed five days after she lodged a criminal complaint with local police.
All unwelcome advances, as well as public displays of affection and attraction, are always inappropriate in the workplace. Those who believe they have been sexually harassed or dismissed for unjust reasons may seek legal representation to fight for their rights.
Source: The Daily Californian, “Former employee files lawsuit against Raj Properties alleging sex harassment, wrongful termination,” Chantelle Lee and Ashley Wong, accessed Nov. 03, 2017