NYC Law Protecting Fast-Food Workers Survives Federal Court Suit

A 2021 New York City law barring fast-food chains from firing employees without just cause is valid under the U.S. Constitution, a federal judge in Manhattan ruled.

The Wrongful Discharge Law’s provision giving workers at fast-food chains in the city the right to pursue arbitration if they believe they’ve been wrongfully discharged likewise doesn’t conflict with the Federal Arbitration Act, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York said.

The WDL was passed by the New York City Council as an amendment to the city’s 2017 Fair Workweek Law, which applies to fast-food establishments that are part ...