WeWork to Face NLRB Charges for Violating Employee Rights

Two months ago, we reported the ex-employee lawsuit that was filed against WeWork by Tara Zoumer, former WeWork employee (March – November 2015).

• Terminating the Charging Party because of her protected concerted activities, including her refusal to sign the Employer’s Employment Dispute Resolution Program and Invention, Non-Disclosure, and Non-Solicitation Agreement.

• Unlawfully instructing employees that they could not discuss their rights, wages, and/or other terms or conditions of employment.

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• Maintaining an unlawful Employment Dispute Resolution Program that includes a class/collective action waiver, prohibits access to the National Labor Relations Board; and a confidentiality provision that precludes employees from discussing their wages, hours, and or other terms/conditions of employment.

• Maintaining an Invention, Non-Disclosure, and Non-Solicitation Agreement that includes a confidentiality provision classifying personnel data as proprietary information.

“I am thankful the NLRB is investigating and protecting employee rights, which are being lost at an alarming rate. Until being an employee of WeWork, I never knew companies could take away the rights of citizens. No person should be required to give up access to their judicial system or rights to collective action as a condition of their employment. The CEO and executives of WeWork should remember that the WE generation is made of WE the people, and you cannot take away our ability to fight for fair wages and civil rights.” – Tara Zoumer.

“Workers have the right to join together to fight for their rights. We hope these charges ultimately result in a better workplace for WeWork employees and other workers in similar industries.” – Ramsey Hanafi, Attorney, QHP Law.

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Tara worked at WeWork from March to November of 2015. When she brought up wage and hour law violations and other health and safety issues with management, she was told to stop talking to her co-workers about it, and asked if she wanted to resign. Several weeks after bringing these issues to the attention of management, WeWork made all of its US employees sign 50-pages of new documents, including a 9-page arbitration agreement stripping their rights to a jury trial or a class action claim, among other important civil rights. Tara refused to sign the documents and was fired shortly thereafter. Her case was filed in civil court in California in December 2015, and NLRB charges were filed in April 2016.