After working as the nanny to the head of Uber’s corporate development and his wife — the head of Airbnb’s global operations — a 45-year-old woman has had enough. She claims that she was grossly underpaid and was also the victim of sexual harassment. She hopes that her case, which has been filed with a California Superior Court, will bring her the justice she believes she deserves.
The plaintiff began working for the couple in 2008 when they lived outside of the United States and then stayed in their service when they moved to California. She alleges that the sexual harassment began on her first night when the husband came into the kitchen naked while she was cooking. From then on, the harassment purportedly continued and became worse as his advances became more frequent and severe. Although the plaintiff claims that she was uncomfortable with the sexual requests, she went along with them at first. Although asked to not speak of these incident to the man’s wife, she eventually did; reportedly, her complaints were ignored.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff was also not being paid appropriately. She allegedly would work six days a week for nine hours per day for a flat rate of $450 each week without breaks. When she expressed her concerns, a contract was apparently drawn up that would lower her hours to 35 per week, pay her $12.50 per hour and allow her to take all of her breaks. The plaintiff claims that the couple did not keep to the contract and continued to pay her a fixed salary and even doctored her time sheets.
In 2015, the plaintiff could no longer tolerate the sexual harassment and resigned. Her case is being supported by the Women’s Employment Rights Clinic and the California Domestic Workers Coalition. The couple maintains that all of the allegations are false and that she was an important part of their lives and that of their children for seven years.
Source: thedailybeast.com, “Uber Exec Sued for Sexual Harassment by Former Nanny“, Lizzie Crocker, Oct. 8, 2015