Ex-Twitter Employees Begin Lawyering Up To Face Elon Musk

After just a few tumultuous weeks since Elon Musk took over Twitter, fired former workers in ever-greater numbers at the moment are taking the corporate to activity over what they are saying are damaged guarantees surrounding their severance from the corporate.

On Monday, Lisa Bloom, a widely known Los Angeles-based legal professional, introduced in a press convention that she is now representing three ex-Twitter workers in arbitration claims — even going as far as to holding up a ceramic sink, nodding to the strange joke that Musk made when he took over the corporate in late October.

“Elon, you broke your guarantees and also you violated the legislation, we’re coming after you,” she stated in a press convention held in her legislation places of work and streamed on-line. “Let that sink in.”

Moreover, a New York-based lawyer is now threatening to convey new arbitration claims on behalf of twenty-two ex-employees, whereas a Boston-based lawyer has introduced three lawsuits and claims earlier than the Nationwide Labor Relations Board on behalf of three further former Twitter staff.

Taken collectively, these symbolize a collective new authorized entrance that the corporate should now face, on condition that Musk has fired greater than half of the corporate’s workforce since he took over in late October.

At its core, the first subject is that some workers say they don’t seem to be receiving the extent of severance and compensation, which incorporates bonuses and inventory vesting, previous to the takeover. Moreover, others got what Bloom referred to as an “unlawful ultimatum” — asking staff to take a 3 months severance deal in the event that they weren’t keen to remain on as a part of Musk’s “hardcore” workforce. Bloom stated Twitter is in alleged violation of a federal labor legislation, referred to as the WARN Act, which requires advance discover of termination earlier than separation from the corporate truly takes place. If present in violation of this legislation, Twitter might owe penalties of $500 per worker per day.

By seemingly evading the WARN Act and different alleged misdeeds, these attorneys say, the corporate appears to be attempting to save lots of tens and even lots of of tens of millions {dollars} in money funds, bonuses, fairness, vested inventory and different payouts.

In the meantime, final Thursday, a special fired Twitter worker introduced a brand new case towards Twitter earlier than the NLRB, alleging that he was fired for organizing a strike towards the social media large on November 17, which in the end by no means happened.

“Charging get together reached out to many fellow workers and inspired them to take part within the strike, and he helped compile a ‘strike record,’ the grievance states. “Shortly after partaking in these actions, on November 14, 2022, with no warning and no particular rationalization, charging get together was terminated from his employment.”

The worker — whose title was redacted within the doc, which his legal professional Shannon Liss-Riordan shared with Forbes — is the third such ex-Twitter staffer to convey a cost to the NLRB since Musk’s takeover in late October. Liss-Riordan has additionally introduced three associated lawsuits towards Twitter, all filed in federal court docket in San Francisco, the place Twitter is headquartered.

“We intend to carry him accountable and present him that everybody is certain by the legislation and that even because the richest man on the earth he’s not above the legislation,” she advised Forbes.

Final week, New York-based legal professional Akiva Cohen, who says he represents 22 ex-Twitter workers, and is in discussions with lots of extra, despatched a scathing demand letter to Musk, demanding that the brand new chief government “present our purchasers with the complete severance Twitter promised them,” or face quite a few arbitration claims.

“This complete factor is about avoiding paying severance funds to folks as he’s getting them out the door,” Cohen advised Forbes.

“By legislation he can’t hearth them till that later date — that’s their separation date,” Cohen stated. “The truth that he cannot do his mass layoff for 2 months, that’s his downside, that’s not their downside.”

Equally, Liss-Riordan stated that Musk’s conduct is “extremely uncommon.”

Neither Musk, nor Twitter’s performing common counsel Alex Spiro, responded to Forbes’ request for remark.