Recent Blog Posts
Were You Fired for Being Out Sick? You May Have an Unfair Termination Case
If you have a severe disability, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects you at work, and prevents you from being fired so long as reasonable accommodations to your job can be made. But what about “just being sick?” In the Middle The reality is that being sick doesn’t put us out of work… Read More »
Secondhand or Secondary Sexual Harassment Claims
Let’s say that you are speaking to a friend that you work with, and he or she tells you that people at work are saying things about you. In fact, they’re doing more than just saying things. They’re talking about your sex life, your body, and other invasive and intrusive and offensive things about… Read More »
Costanzo Law Firm Files Lawsuit Against Kaiser Permanente for Age Discrimination and Retaliation
Case alleges Kaiser failed to establish protocols, training, and vendor support, then scapegoated senior nurse after decades of service San Jose, CA – August 19, 2025 – Costanzo Law Firm, APC has filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court on behalf of longtime nurse Felicidad Tran against The Permanente Medical Group, Inc.,… Read More »
Do You Have to Pay for Your Own Uniform at Work?
Uniforms in the workplace are liked by some employees and disliked by others. But when it comes to the law, the legal issue isn’t so much whether you like or don’t like them—it’s whether or not you have to pay for them, out of your own pocket. Employer Pays, but is it a Uniform?… Read More »
Can a Union Bargaining Agreement Limit An Employee’s Right to Sue?
If you are part of a union, your rights in all aspects of your work, may be governed by a collective bargaining agreement, or CBA. That CBA may have provisions in it that address things like making claims for discrimination and harassment, or wage and hour claims. In some cases, a CBA may expand… Read More »
Understanding Split Shifts and Extra Pay
Although we think of work shifts as starting and ending at specific times, that’s not always the case. Many workers have what is known as split shifts. When they do, there may be questions as to when that worker gets overtime pay, and how to calculate their hours. What is a Split Shift? A… Read More »
New Regulations Make AI Hiring Discrimination Illegal
If you’ve applied for a job in the last year or so, you’ve probably noticed a trend: more and more, it isn’t a human interviewing you, or even evaluating your resume. It’s Artificial Intelligence (AI). But with the rise of AI in hiring decisions, come problems—problems which the state is addressing starting in October… Read More »
Signs You Are Being Retaliated Against at Work
Retaliation against employees at work is illegal. But for many workers, there is a dual challenge—the first is wondering whether they can legally be retaliated against, and if not, the second challenge is figuring out whether retaliation is actually happening to them. What is Retaliation? As a general rule, it is illegal to punish… Read More »
The Effects of Mental Health Disability in the Workplace: Are Accommodations Needed?
You may already know that mental illness is a protected disability under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). This means that your employer cannot discriminate against you for having a mental illness, and furthermore, must make accommodations to allow you to do your job, with whatever limitations you may have because of your mental… Read More »
Were You Fired for Abandoning Your Job?
If you have a job and you no longer want to work where you are, it is always good practice, legally and ethically, to tell your employer that you are quitting or plan to resign. But sometimes, you don’t go to work, but you want to keep your job but you are not in… Read More »
