In a recent
lawsuit, it has been alleged that Twitter Inc., now known as X Corp., is
refusing to participate in arbitration with former employees who were
terminated during Elon Musk's takeover. The ex-employees claim that they were
pushed to use arbitration to address issues related to unpaid wages,
unfulfilled severance promises, and discrimination.
Multiple
lawsuits have accused the company of various labor and workplace violations,
including the failure to compensate thousands of workers laid off after Musk's
acquisition. Approximately 2,000 former Twitter employees resorted to
arbitration as demanded by the company, but Twitter has failed to participate,
according to a complaint filed in San Francisco federal court.
Earlier
this year, Twitter secured a ruling that required employees who had signed
arbitration agreements to resolve their disputes through closed-door hearings
overseen by private judges, rather than pursuing class-action lawsuits in open
court.
This
creates a challenging legal environment for employees, often leaving them at a
disadvantage against better-resourced opponents. Studies have shown that many
workers give up rather than pursue their claims in arbitration, providing a
benefit to companies.
Shannon
Liss-Riordan, a lawyer representing former Twitter employees in multiple
lawsuits, has continued to file arbitrations on behalf of individual workers.
However, Twitter is allegedly refusing to cover the fees for these
arbitrations, as required by its employment agreements.
The
complaint asserts that Twitter's refusal to honor its own written agreement and
engage in arbitration is further harming its former employees.
