‘I Have Never Seen Such a Fever Pitch’ wrongful termination suits Newsweek

Last summer, a European-based luxury goods manufacturer let go of its U.S. subsidiary’s CFO, offering him a seven-month severance package. Three years earlier, when the same subsidiary’s CEO lost his job, he’d accepted a six-month severance package and “was happy with it,” says Ken Taber, a lawyer with Pillsbury Winthrop that is representing the company.

BUT THE ECONOMY is very different now. And the ex-CFO, who was 52 when he lost his job, found himself competing with hundreds of highly qualified, middle-aged executives looking for work. He turned down the seven-month severance offer and joined a growing number of job-cut victims—many of them white-collar workers—who have turned to the courts instead. Forgoing the traditional severance package and job search, they are instead focusing their efforts, and often their money, into pursuing wrongful termination lawsuits and negotiating more lucrative severance settlements.
       AIG insurance says that in recent years, the overall number of claims filed by employees alleging employment practices violations has doubled. Employment discrimination suits have increased more than 50 percent over the past decade, while monetary awards for employment-related claims have jumped about 290 percent, according to Genesis Insurance Company. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports a similar rise in complaints filed. Last year, workers filed nearly 84,500 job discrimination complaints against their employers with the—the highest number in seven years.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/942092.asp?0cv=CB20

Who gives a flying suck about Repukelican executives! Justice for the common workers!

http://darker0darker.tripod.com/

when the rank and file get next to nothing, the execs want more than six months? B.S. It's at will employment.

Glad to see it.

My boss got $500,000 - plus all stock options (he had thousands), kept his health insurance - cell phone, Mercedes Benz, laptop and more. I got 4 weeks severence pay, which I promptly gave back and then I called a lawyer.