The collective bargaining process is one of the most effective tools unions can use to negotiate for higher wages, better health benefits, and other employment terms. Since this bargaining process is so crucial to establishing and maintaining good working conditions for employees, some unwritten customs, precedents, and informal agreements come into play.
Gender Discrimination Lawsuits in the Headlines
Recently a San Francisco jury cleared prominent Silicon Valley venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers of all charges of sexual discrimination and retaliation against a former female partner, the Wall Street Journal reported. Ellen Pao, who worked at the firm from 2005-12, filed the suit, alleging that management only assigned her menial jobs, refused to promote her based on her gender, and then fired her when she spoke out about the alleged discrimination. The firm countered by insisting that Ms. Pao failed to make any performance improvements after being told that she had several shortcomings in terms of the collaborative skills required to be a successful investor. Ms. Pao, currently the interim CEO of Reddit.com, had been seeking $16 million in damages as compensation. After the verdict came back in favor of the defendants, Ms. Pao gave a few positive statements and tweets about the legacy of her case.