Involuntary Transfers of Work Location
There is a lot to love about California, from the scenic views to the locally sourced produce and diverse cuisines. Working in California also gives you fewer reasons to complain than employees in other states. California has some of the strongest worker protections involving pay and benefits. It is also home to a thriving arts scene as well as to nonprofit organizations, so some members of California’s workforce have jobs that do not feel like work. No one enjoys commuting to work in California, though. If your commute involves biking through the smog or waiting outside in the heat for a bus or an Uber, there are commuters who have it worse than you. It is hard to get anywhere in California without driving on the highway, and California’s highways some of the worst. If your employer assigns you to a work location with a difficult commute, it can feel like a punishment. Sometimes it is not just your imagination that your employer is trying to antagonize you by making your commute longer and more frustrating. If your employer retaliated against you by assigning you to work at a difficult to reach location, contact a Los Angeles discrimination and harassment lawyer.
“Freeway Therapy” Is a Form of Employment Discrimination
Employer discrimination is when an employer treats you less favorably because of a protected characteristic like your race or gender, instead of because of your misconduct or poor performance. Retaliation is when an employer takes an adverse action to punish you for engaging in a legally protected activity, such as taking family leave or complaining about discrimination. Transferring you to a different work location or changing your work schedule or duties may constitute an adverse action if you did not request the change.
A police lieutenant of a California city recently received a settlement in a discrimination lawsuit. She was successful in her work and even acted as police chief temporarily; during the police chief’s absence, the plaintiff led the city’s police department through several crises in the city. When a new sheriff was elected, he seemed to have it in for her and for other women in law enforcement. He allegedly spread false rumors about the plaintiff having a romantic relationship with a local official. When the plaintiff complained, her supervisor transferred her to work in a faraway location, a punishment known among California law enforcement as “freeway therapy.”
Only about a quarter of the plaintiff’s settlement was for lost income; the rest was for noneconomic damages. She donated most of it to support female police officers and young women studying to pursue law enforcement careers.
Speak With a Los Angeles Employment Discrimination Lawyer
A Los Angeles employment discrimination and retaliation lawyer can represent you in employment discrimination cases if your employer reassigned you to a distant or undesirable work location in response to your complaints about discriminatory treatment. Contact Litigation, P.C. in Redondo Beach, California to discuss your situation or call (424)284-2401.
Source:
theacorn.com/articles/seetoo-wins-lawsuit-against-l-a-sheriff/