Dawn Marie files complaint against WWE

[Ripper 0]

So maturnity leave doesn't register to you, huh Buffy?

 

No company can FIRE a employee for getting pregnant. They can give them leave, and if they can't return after that period of time, then you can replace them.

[Perfxion 0]

This goes against FEDERAL LAW. Does NOT matter what the WWE contract states because FEDERAL LAW states that they can NOT be fired for being pregnant. OSHA and EOEC both have standings because of safety and job security for females being pregnant in the work place. If this wasn't here then why was Swoops fired from the WNBA when she had her kid?

[Danville_Wrestling 0]

Good for Dawn Marie, I was hoping she'd do this when she got released this past summer. WWE is clearly in violation of federal working statutes with this one so they might as well fork over some cash and avoid a trial.

[Caliban 0]

She might have a case, but then WWE could just show how she did have some storylines and PPV appearances, and her release was no different to that of a Gail Kim or a Nidia... who also had a chance in WWE but disappeared and weren't missed...

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

This goes against FEDERAL LAW. Does NOT matter what the WWE contract states because FEDERAL LAW states that they can NOT be fired for being pregnant. OSHA and EOEC both have standings because of safety and job security for females being pregnant in the work place. If this wasn't here then why was Swoops fired from the WNBA when she had her kid?

Or Helen Darling. Or Tina Thompson. Or DeMaya Walker. Or...

 

 

Err... Sorry, I didn't mean to try and turn this into a WNBA thread; carry on.

[Black Lushus 0]

are we seriously comparing regular everyday jobs and the labor laws surrounding them to jobs with contracts involved?

[nl5xsk1 0]

Hunter Tylo = Dawn Marie, Aaron Spelling = Vince & the WWE

[Ace309 0]

Contract law isn't my strongest area (and I'm not a lawyer), but "everyday jobs" are, legally speaking, jobs that involve contracts. You might not sign anything when you get hired at Rite-Aid, but the phrase "working without a contract" doesn't mean what most people think it does.

 

Even if we go with the strongest example and Dawn Marie's contract provided that she could be fired if she got pregnant, the provision would probably be thrown out as contrary to public policy. Dawn Marie is being quite reserved in only asking for the remainder of the contract as damages, and I'd imagine that if the E doesn't settle she'll probably win in court. The smartest thing would be to pay her off and chalk it up to the costs of, I don't know, honoring the contracts they negotiated in the first place.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Dawn Marie is self-employed, her pregnancy would have prevented her from performing her contractually obligated duties to the WWE. If you hire a plumber for a series of jobs and she gets knocked up and can't work on your house anymore, why should you still pay her everything that was originally stated?

 

Of course, I think the whole Independent Contractor thing with the WWE is a load of hogwash and warrants investigation by government because wrestlers clearly are, for all intents and purposes, employees of the E yet the WWE saves millions by not classifying them as such and can get away with bullshit firings. I think if this thing goes to court, the jury would see it the same way, which might open up a can of worms for the WWE.

[Black Lushus 0]

Ace, regular jobs are bound by labor laws, not contracts...contracts are bound by the specifics within said contract...as Rudo there said, the government should investigate these "contracts" the WWE writes up, how valid they are, what worming the WWE does to get out of these contracts...the WWE's legal beagles obviously found a loophole that Dawn Marie didn't know about and exploited it, sucks for her.

[Guest Princess Leena]

This is the same WWF that thought they could keep that name because World Wildlife Fund would forget about it.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if they released her, and think she won't do anything about it. That's what happens with most pregnant firings.

[The Robfather 0]

Sounds like the WWE was way out of line on this one.

 

Good for Dawn Marie.

[jester 0]

Stephanie will probably show up during the trial and say "See? I'm pregnant and they didn't fire me!"

 

Without a trace of irony, too.

[Si82 0]

Good for Dawn Marie I say. Vince McMahon is a fucking prick and I hope she gets everything she's after.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Well, Steph is an employee of the WWE in her position of Director of Creative, and only is an IC when she's on screen (and therefore gets paid seperately).

[Bruce Blank 0]

Good for Dawn - just cause they're "contract" workers and not 9 to 5'ers doesn't mean they can be treated like total shit

 

I hope she wins and if it goes to court that they add money to her claim just to stick it to Vince

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

How did they treat her like shit, though?

 

They fired her because they didn't need her any more.

 

I think wrestlers deserve a lot of the blame for their contract situations, simply because the option to Unionize is there, but won't happen because of individual interests blocking it.

[Bruce Blank 0]

So being fired JUST for being pregnant isn't "treating you like shit"??

 

it is in my book

 

"Didn't need her any more" is a crock as much a crock as anyone being fired as a "cost cutting measure" when Vince gets double digit million dollar dividend from his stock.

[Black Lushus 0]

While we all may be positive Vince may have fired her because she got pregnant, we don't know that as fact and his legal beagles will spin it around as her being fired for other reasons...as I said before, sucks for her, but that's the way it goes. It's not as easy as you guys seem to think to turn around and sue someone over discrimination.

[Bruce Blank 0]

I have no clue how the law is in the States

 

in Denmark that would NEVER have gone over though, it's illegal to fire a pregnant woman unless they can prove that there is some sort of gross misconduct or whatever.

 

Aren't there rules in place to protect women? even if she's a "contractor" there must be some rules.

 

and I never said it was easy - but doable.

[Black Lushus 0]

oh there are laws, even for contract workers, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to come up with other ways for firing someone without them knowing the real reason why you're firing them. I mean, come on, if Vince can survive a huge nasty steriod scandal, this shit is small potatoes.