Federal and state laws govern many aspects of the employer-employee relationship. These laws were established long ago to offer workers protections that contribute to their overall well-being while on the job.
While there are laws in place to protect your rights as an employee, you may still find that you're involved in a dispute with your employer. This conflict could have an adverse impact on your wages, benefits, long-term career potential, and quality of life. If you're currently involved in an employment law dispute, you'll want to reach a resolution as soon as possible. However, you may be too intimidated to speak with your employer or may have tried to discuss the conflict only to receive little to no support. In these instances, we encourage you to consult with the employment law attorneys at our firm. At Bergstein & Ullrich, we can provide you with representation when facing:
Discrimination
Sexual Harassment
Wrongful Termination
Retaliation
Benefits disputes
As an employee, you have the right to be treated fairly by your employer. If you believe that your employer may have violated the law in its dealings with you, you should contact Bergstein & Ullrich to seek advice from an employment lawyer. We'll meet with you one-on-one to discuss your case and provide you with guidance so that you can take measures to resolve your employment dispute.
Don't be afraid to stand up for your rights as an employee. Our firm has successfully litigated countless employment discrimination case, setting precedents in this area. As a young attorney, Stephen Bergstein successfully briefed Chambers v. TRM Copy Centers, Inc., 43 F.3d 29 (2d Cir. 1994), still one of the leading cases on employment discrimination in the Second Circuit. In 2004, Mr. Bergstein briefed and argued Back v. Hastings on Hudson Sch. Dist., 365 F.3d 107 (2d Cir. 2004), which ruled for the first time that a defendant cannot discriminate against a mother in the stereotypical belief that she will be more attentive to her children than her professional responsibilities. And in 2018, Mr. Bergstein assisted in convincing the Court of Appeals to rule in the landmark Zarda v. Altitude Express, 883 F.3d 100 (2d Cir. 2018), that sexual orientation discrimination is a form of gender discrimination under the federal employment discrimination laws, making the Second Circuit only the second federal appeals court in the country to interpret federal law that way. Mr. Bergstein was on the legal team when Zarda reached the Supreme Court in 2019. In that case, Bostock v. Clayton County, 140 S. Ct. 1731 (2020), the Court ruled for the first time that LGBTQ discrimination is a form of sex discrimination under the federal civil rights laws.
We also handle retaliation cases. If you complain about discrimination the workplace, you cannot suffer retaliation. In Rasmy v. Marriott International, Inc., 952 F.3d 379 (2d Cir, 2020), the Court of Appeals reinstated our client's retaliation (and racial harassment) claim brought under federal and New York City law. In recent years, we also reinstated two cases on appeal in which our clients claimed they suffered retaliation for requesting family and medical leave (Padilla v. Yeshiva Univ., 691 Fed. Appx. 53 (2d Cir. 2017)) and a school principal who suffered retaliation for bringing a prior lawsuit against her employer. Kirkweg v. City of New York Board of Education, 633 Fed. Appx. 40 (2d Cir. 2016).