Former Twitter employees are obtaining initial victories in legal resources against Elon Musk’s mass layoffs, made when he bought the company in 2022.
Four former Twitter workers won in a recent series of closed arbitration procedures on allegations that the compensation were illegally denied, according to a memorandum seen by Bloomberg News. More than two years ago, Musk asked Twitter employees in an email with the “crossroads” subject to commit to a “extremely strict” work environment or leave the company.
Musk cost reduction strategies were placed in national evidence with a similar approach to wipe out the federal workforce – which included recent email sending to more than two million federal workers with the same “crossroads” subject. Email has given employees the option to resign but be paid until the end of September, while warning them of a reduction in imminent personnel.
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The email was sent while Musk began his new role leading a federal cost reduction effort as a key counselor of the government efficiency department under President Donald Trump.
On Twitter, now known as X, the four workers successfully argued that, although they did not respond to the email, they did not resign and, instead, were fired, which means they were entitled to compensation promised by the company before the purchase by Musk. The wins for the four employees had not been reported earlier.
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Similar emails sent to federal workers are now subject to various lawsuits. Musk and X representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
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After Musk buy the social media company for $ 44 billion and promptly dismiss more than half of the team, former employees responded by complaining. The initial losses of musk in arbitration can increase pressure on a deal in similar allegations of individual workers who claim to receive among nearly $ 100,000 more than $ 1 million.
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Shannon Liss-Riordan, a lawyer who represents former arbitration employees, wrote in the memorandum that the 20 cases she has won so far cost to the company at least double the amount of compensation contested, as the awards also included interest, arbitration expenses and attorney’s fees.
The memorandum was obtained from a former Twitter employee who asked not to be identified by disclosing confidential information. In response to a request for comment, Liss-Riordan said he cannot discuss details about compensation awards because the company insisted that they remained confidential. She is representing over 2,000 former employees in legal battles against Musk.
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Ireland case
Most Twitter compensation disputes in the US were led before private judges in closed doors, as employees resigned the right to prosecute an open court. Last year, in Ireland, a Dublin -based senior purchasing employee received more than € 550,000 (US $ 577,746) by the employment relations committee in a case that became public and marked the largest amount ever granted by the agency.
Musk used a similar script during his passage through the Trump administration. After the email “Crossroads”, Musk followed this last weekend with an ultimatum to government staff to justify their writing positions or risk being dismissed. The president said on Tuesday that workers who do not respond to musk demands risk losing their jobs.
“All President Trump’s executive actions are legal, constitutional and designed to fulfill the promises he made to the American people,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday. “Elected partisan employees and judicial activists seeking to legally obstruct President Trump’s agenda are challenging the desire of 77 million Americans who reelected Trump overwhelmingly, and their efforts will fail.”
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Trump himself defended Musk’s efforts, presenting them as a legitimate attempt to eradicate fraud and waste in the US government. They provoked protests from workers’ unions, Democrats in Congress and even voters in districts inclined to Republicans.
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