Former Twitter employee wins $600,000 wrongful termination lawsuit
A former Twitter director has won the highest compensation award for unfair dismissal in Ireland after the country’s Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) concluded that an employee who failed to confirm his “commitment” to the company in an email from owner Elon Musk could not be considered terminated. The employee – Gary Rooney – had been with the company since 2013, was head of purchasing at Twitter International in Dublin and was fired shortly after Musk acquired X (formerly known as Twitter). After the acquisition, Musk sent an email to employees laying out his vision for “Twitter 2.0,” which included long hours and high-intensity work. “To build a groundbreaking Twitter 2.0 in the future and to succeed in an increasingly competitive world, we must be extremely tough,” Musk wrote in the email, which is quoted by The Guardian. The email asked employees to confirm their commitment by clicking a link. Those who did not respond were offered severance pay equal to three months’ salary. Rooney was one of the employees who did not click “yes” on the link included in the message. Three days later, he received an email from Twitter confirming his “decision to resign” and confirming his acceptance of a voluntary severance offer. Rooney denied this, testifying that he initially thought Musk’s email was spam or malware and was afraid to open it. Twitter argued that Rooney’s failure to respond to Musk’s email amounted to a voluntary resignation. According to Lauren Wegman, Twitter’s chief human resources officer, the company accepted the resignations of 35 employees who did not click “yes” on Musk’s email. In total, 270 people received the message. However, the WRC rejected this claim, with WRC arbitrator Michael MacNamee ruling that the 24-hour notice period provided for in Musk’s email was not “reasonable”.
IKEA expands use of AI drones to improve employee wellbeing
The king of flat packs – IKEA – has announced that it will expand the use of AI-controlled drones – all in the name of improving employee wellbeing and safety. IKEA claims that the drones – which photograph product storage in warehouses along pre-determined paths – enable continuous inventory control and also mean that new storage areas can be identified more safely without employees having to climb great heights. Wellbeing is also improved by minimising repetitive strain and injury risks for employees, allowing them to focus on other tasks. The drone system, developed in collaboration with AI and robotics provider Verity, will be deployed in Europe and North America, starting with the Perryville distribution centre, IKEA US. This development follows a successful year of testing at the Winterslag distribution centre in Belgium. “Implementing a solution that really makes a difference in our warehouses is an immensely rewarding experience,” said Tommy Niemierowski, Fulfillment Project Implementation Manager at IKEA Belgium. He added: “The installation process itself is relatively straightforward and the rewards are enormous as it facilitates collaboration between different stakeholders.”
Illinois passes anti-AI discrimination law
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed several AI-related bills that amend the Illinois Human Rights Act to protect workers from discrimination caused by the use of AI in work-related decisions and to require transparency about the use of AI in work-related decisions. Under the bill, known as HB 3773, an employer cannot use AI that results in employees being subjected to discrimination based on a protected class in recruitment, hiring, promotion, firing, disciplinary action, or the terms, privileges, or conditions of employment. In addition, the law prohibits employers from using zip codes as a proxy for protected classes. Illinois employers must inform their employees about the use of AI in or in assisting with work-related decisions. HB 3773 applies to anyone who employs one or more employees in Illinois. By signing the bill, Illinois joins Colorado, which passed similar legislation in May to combat algorithmic discrimination in the use of AI systems in the private sector. That law also imposed obligations on Colorado employers to disclose their use of AI to employees and applicants. HB 3773 allows workers in Illinois to seek redress under the state’s Human Rights Act against discrimination arising from their employer’s use of an AI system. Colorado and Illinois are currently the only U.S. jurisdictions that regulate employers’ use of AI systems.
Shake Shack customer claims employees beat him because he is gay
A gay man has accused employees at a Shake Shack store in Washington DC of hitting him while he was eating there. Christian Dingus, 28, who was there with his partner and a group of friends, claims he was attacked for kissing his boyfriend. After he kissed his partner, an employee approached him and his boyfriend and said, “You can’t do that here, you can’t do that here.” When Dingus’ partner became angry, he was “escorted out of the restaurant,” and when Dingus stepped in to defend him, he said, “They (the employees there) just all started attacking me at that moment, dragging me back through the floor and hitting me in the head nonstop.” A video of the alleged attack, taken by a Shake Shack customer and later given to Dingus, appears to show a man being shoved while two others wearing black Shake Shack T-shirts hit his head. Two more people appear, also wearing Shake Shack shirts, but it is unclear what follows. Police are investigating the case as a hate crime and classifying the offense as simple assault with a homophobic background. A Shake Shack spokesperson said the team members involved have been suspended pending further investigation and the company is cooperating with authorities.
Texas ranked 49thth of 50 states for equality for women in the workplace
The state of Texas was shamed into ranking 49th out of 50 in the 2024 Best and Worst States for Women’s Equality report. The study – which ranks states on 17 key indicators, including income disparities, differences in leadership positions and unemployment rates between men and women – found Texas ranked 21st.st for income gaps; 32and for gender differences in leadership positions and 22and in terms of differences in working hours between men and women. Texas ranks 40th and also shows significant disparities in the unemployment rate between the sexes and only modest progress in the number of female entrepreneurs. Commenting on the data, the author of the findings said, “The workplace provides even more evidence of inequality. Despite progress toward social equality, women are disproportionately underrepresented in leadership positions.” It goes on to say, “Women make up more than 50% of the population, but only about 28% of lawmakers and 9% of CEOs in the S&P 500.” With the U.S. (as a whole) ranking only 43rd in the world in gender equality, the report called for urgent policy interventions and societal changes to address these inequalities.
Thousands of AT&T employees strike over poor working conditions
Thousands of AT&T workers have announced they will strike until further notice after claiming the telecommunications company refused to negotiate with them in good faith over working conditions. The employees reportedly want better pay, improved benefits and safer working conditions, and according to the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the strike is a protest against the company’s delays in negotiations. “In 2019 (during our last collective bargaining session), we were here for the same reason, in the ULP strike, and now we’re here again,” said Marshall Boswell, an AT&T operations technician. Randall Laplant, board member of CWA Local 3806, added, “We’re striking in all workplaces until further notice until they come to the bargaining table and negotiate fairly.” The action means that around 17,000 AT&T technicians, customer service representatives and other employees are on strike in several states. The workers’ contracts officially ended on June 3.rd August. Laplant said, “We are fathers, mothers, sons and daughters and … husbands and wives, and we support our families through this.” He added, “We just want them to come to the bargaining table in good faith and negotiate in good faith to give us the contract we deserve.” In response, an AT&T statement said, “The CWA’s allegations of unfair labor practices are not based on facts. We have been negotiating substantively since day one and are committed to reaching an agreement that benefits our hard-working employees.” It added, “We are disappointed that union leaders are calling for a strike at this point in the negotiations instead of focusing their energies on constructive discussions at the bargaining table.”
Walmart employees stalk customers to prevent theft, former employee claims
A former Walmart employee has revealed on TikTok that the retail giant pays its employees to secretly spy on customers in order to curb theft. The TikTok user Bigbagspenny616claims that when he worked for the company, he was a “floorwalker” in charge of tracking down thieves. He claims that the floorwalkers start by stalking customers in the parking lot and following them around the store while they shop. “The very first thing you have to pay attention to is that we are always standing in our cars, and when you drive in, we are allowed to follow you into the store,” he said in his video. “This gives the impression that we arrived at the store at the same time as you.” The video, posted last week, has already been viewed more than 710,000 times, and in it, the former employee claims that each floorwalker has a prime suspect they are following. He said that between 50 and 200 customers can be targeted in each store on a daily basis. The TikToker also claimed that the floorwalkers are “everywhere” and that they work together and communicate with each other through earbuds. They are also instructed to film customers suspected of stealing. He said, “If you are suspected of stealing, we are obligated to film you and watch you put away your groceries – in case we need to use this later in court.” According to a recent report for Gitnux, Walmart loses $3 billion annually to theft.
