Susan Fowler is still fighting for employee rights at Uber

As scary as this sounds, women regularly experience harassment and abuse in the workplace and don’t say anything about it. But former Uber employee Susan Fowler changed the game when she wrote a blog post chronicling a history of sexism and harassment at the company. Her truth bomb resulted in an investigation, the huge #DeleteUBER movement, and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick’s departure.

The former employee made a world of difference by speaking out. And Fowler doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Last week, she filed an amicus brief in a landmark labor law case going to the Supreme Court.

Are you up on your legalese? If not, an amicus brief is a document filed by someone who isn’t involved in the case. However, they have a vested interest in the outcome or topic.

This specific case will look into employees giving up their rights to take collective action against an employer, known as a class-action suit. Many companies require employees to sign away their rights to this kind of legal protection. Instead, they solve issues through arbitration.

What does that mean for Uber? Arbitration benefits companies like Uber because settling individually costs wayyy less money. Not to mention, it prevents employees from publicly whistle-blowing on potentially unlawful activities. The question is: Does this violate the National Labor Relations Act?

"In addition to the toxic workplace culture faced by Susan Fowler and others, Uber has been accused repeatedly of systematically violating a wide-swath of federal and state employment laws in federal court class actions," Fowler's lawyer wrote in the amicus brief.

Uber remains at the heart of many labor-centric lawsuits at the moment. And this Supreme Court ruling would affect many of them.

Props to Fowler for standing up for what’s right!

Here’s to justice for Uber employees, as well as better workers’ rights in general.