A group of former employees suing Elon Musk’s Twitter scored an early win Wednesday when a judge ordered the company to inform any laid-off staffers of the pending lawsuit. The move ensures workers will be better informed before they are required to sign a severance agreement that includes a release of legal claims.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/15/tech/twitter-employees-lawsuit-motion-granted/index.html
LOLEXPECTED
Chaulk up another win for Elon
Former employees suing Twitter over layoffs score an early victory but wind up with a late defeat. Case dismissed.
Ignore all the gaslighting about signing on for lawsuits.
Yes, the litigation team stands to get the biggest CASH windfall if they win.
But other companies are looking at what Musk is doing here. If he gets away with it then it becomes the new template for screwing workers. It could be your SO, a friend, family member or YOU again at your next company. Make a stand for yourself and your class.
That one year that twitter was profitable because Vijayjay was taking money from the pheds.
Wow first time getting let go I guess its is rough to finally face the reality of the rest of the employment world. Litigation only works for the legal team not for you the useful id--t. Why would you want to stay at a company that does not want you. Be glad you got offered anything. This tactic of lockout and on the payroll having to do nothing for months before the end is a tried and true tactic. Protects the company from malcontents.
Victory? For techies you all are id--ts! The only win is for the lawyers of this class action. You will get less than your offered severance after the money is spilt up amongst all claimants. Mo--ns!!! Take the severance and got to Bali for month!
What’s their claim? “Elon only gave us 3 months severance”.
It's not about the fact of being laid off, it's how you are laid off. Even in an at-will employment state (such as California), there are rules and their are norms. To give some examples:
If your company tells you that everything is fine, financials are great... go ahead and buy your new car, put down for a mortgage, send your kids to college... and one day you show up to work and the doors are shut.... Well, that's why there is a WARN act, 60 days notice required. Companies get around it by paying 60-day severances, so they didn't "officially" lay you off with no notice, but it's a shell game. Promising a severance (whether 60 or 90 days or whatever) and then not giving one is grounds for a lawsuit.
If your company announces that they are forced to have layoffs due to low profit, etc., etc., but then (let's not name any racial types here) you notice that all the folks with blues eyes got laid off and all the folks with green eyes are still there. Grounds for a lawsuit.
Your company announces that they no longer can employ Round Widget Makers, due to market disruption, lost profitability, blah, blah, blah and you get laid off. Then your company immediately turns around and hires a whole slew of Round Widget Makers fresh out of college for 1/2 the salary that they paid you. Lawsuit.
Absurd, but unfortunately not unheard of example... Your company declares that all females under the age of 30 must wear short skirts to work from now on. Any who do not are redundant and therefore laid off. MAJOR Lawsuit. And there are tons of non-se-ual harassment examples - mandatory unpaid overtime, wage theft, charging workers for needed work items, etc., etc. - where anyone who resists or complains gets mysteriously laid off. Lawsuit.
Usually, as a big corporation, your HR and Legal departments try to protect you (the executive) from totally shooting yourself in the foot. But if you've fired most of your HR and legal, then... 'Nuff said.
My point being, before you get too smug about entitled Tech workers, think about what if it were your job and your life? And that the chances of getting any meaningful redress - money, back salary, etc. - are very low. We live in a country where employers can sc--w over their workers pretty much at will, the true meaning of "At will employment.:
Yes, I know and have worked with/put up with plenty of entitled, lazy, good-for-nothing employees, colleagues, and managers. Nowhere is perfect. As a manager, I've certainly offered up my "I can't manage them out via PIP" employees during layoff rounds. Was it legal? Yes, HR was carefully guiding me. Was it FAIR? Well, I can still look at myself in the mirror, but it was ugly. Anyway, we all muddle along as best we can. No where is forever, keep your skills sharp and keep some money in the rainy day fund!
Twitter was profitable for only one year of their public existence. Meta had layoffs. Amazon had layoffs. Google will have layoffs. And they are all very profitable. Therefore, the Twitter layoffs were the only option.
What’s their claim? “Elon only gave us 3 months severance”. Twitter was poorly run, over staffed and unprofitable. They focused on the wrong things over and over. Non wonder he had to cut staff. You can’t pay people who bring zero value.
Pro tip: consult with a lawyer before you sign ANYTHING regarding your severance. Also (in this case) make sure to make them aware of pending litigation.