• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

2

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

3

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

1

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

2

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

3

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Leadership

Wage Watch: Transgender Army staffer wins landmark discrimination case

Claire Zillman
By
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
Editor, Leadership
Down Arrow Button Icon
Claire Zillman
By
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
Editor, Leadership
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 24, 2014, 5:26 PM ET
The Pentagon building in Washington, DC
This picture taken December 26, 2011 shows the Pentagon building in Washington, DC. Headquarters of the United States Department of Defense (DOD), the Pentagon is the world's largest office building by floor area, with about 6,500,000 sq ft (600,000 m2), of which 3,700,000 sq ft (340,000 m2) are used as offices. Approximately 23,000 military and civilian employees and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel work in the Pentagon. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)Photograph by AFP/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Report: Army discriminated against transgender employee

In what’s been heralded as a landmark determination, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel on Thursday found that the Army discriminated against a transgender civilian Army employee on the basis of her gender identity.

The actions at issue against Tamara Lusardi, a software specialist at the Army’s Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center in Alabama who transitioned from man to woman, were “sufficiently frequent, pervasive, and humiliating to constitute discriminatory harassment,” said the OSC, which is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency.

The case is part of a larger effort by the federal government and the OSC to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees. In June, President Obama signed an executive order banning workplace discrimination based on employees’ sexual orientation and gender identity. In September, the EEOC filed its first ever lawsuits on behalf of transgender employees under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. OSC spokesman Nick Schwellenbach told Fortune that last month the office resolved a case with the Army related to a civilian employee who claimed he was harassed and pushed out of his job because he identified as a bisexual. In the course of addressing the case, the Army changed a policy listing specific sex acts as grounds for barring someone from holding a sensitive job position.

Lusardi’s case marks the first time the OSC has released its investigation of a complaint, which is called a report of prohibited personnel practice. The office made the report public to serve as an education tool for how it considers such matters, Schwellenbach says.

Lusardi’s case stems back to 2007, when she told her supervisor about her intersex medical condition and her plans make a gender transition. She began that process in 2010 and received a court-decreed name change that same year.

As Lusardi transitioned, her supervisors told her that she was making other employees uncomfortable by using the women’s restroom and was instructed to use a separate executive bathroom. Lusardi claimed that her supervisor typically misused her name and called her by the male pronoun in moments of anger or in the company of others. She was also told to “hold down the office chatter” about her transition.

The Army, the OSC said, “made significant adverse changes in [Lusardi’s] working conditions by repeatedly singling her out, and discriminating against her on the basis of her gender identity, including her gender transition from a man to a woman.”

In response to the OSC’s finding, the Army will provide training to correct and prevent future discrimination.

D.C. bike share workers push for a union

Citing safety concerns, workers from Washington, D.C.’s bike share program on Thursday submitted union authorization cards to the National Labor Relations Board. The 57 cards delivered to the NLRB account for 86% of Capital Bikeshare’s workforce. Now it’s up to the NLRB to certify them.

If that happens, Capital Bikeshare employees will become the second bike share workforce in the country to unionize. New York City’s Citi Bike staff collected enough cards in August to hold an election, but their employer Alta Bicycle Share voluntarily recognized the union before the vote could take place. Boston’s Hubway bike share system workers are also moving to unionize.

The Transportation Workers Union Local 100 has been at the center of these unionization efforts. A representative of the organization told Fortune in August that TWU considered bike share programs to have “real potential for growth.”

Labor Secretary minces no words in critiquing U.S. minimum wage

Secretary of Labor Tom Perez said on Thursday that when comparing the United States’ minimum wage to other countries’, there’s one obvious conclusion: “I mean, we suck,” he said. “We really do.”

The U.S. federal minimum hourly rate of $7.25 ranks third-lowest among the 34 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Perez also responded to comments made earlier this week by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who said he was “tired of hearing about the minimum wage.” When it comes to understanding the livelihoods of minimum wage earners, the governor has “got his head in the sand,” Perez said.

About the Author
Claire Zillman
By Claire ZillmanEditor, Leadership
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Claire Zillman is a senior editor at Fortune, overseeing leadership stories. 

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

Getting past the pilot: Why so many AI test projects have trouble scaling
SuccessBrainstorm Tech
Getting past the pilot: Why so many AI test projects have trouble scaling
By Alexei OreskovicJune 24, 2026
7 hours ago
How ‘Ozempic face’ is pushing Gen X, already the biggest Botox and filler consumers, to the facelift table a decade early
HealthGen X
How ‘Ozempic face’ is pushing Gen X, already the biggest Botox and filler consumers, to the facelift table a decade early
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 24, 2026
9 hours ago
Why Zohran Mamdani’s big night as the Democratic party’s new kingmaker matters for every Fortune 500 CEO in every city and state
PoliticsPolitics
Why Zohran Mamdani’s big night as the Democratic party’s new kingmaker matters for every Fortune 500 CEO in every city and state
By Catherina GioinoJune 24, 2026
9 hours ago
Warren leans in to talk to Scott
PoliticsHousing
Congress’s landmark housing bill could backfire on millions of renters
By Jacqueline MunisJune 24, 2026
9 hours ago
CEO of $8 billion Flexport blasts remote work as ‘white-collar fraud’ and a ‘total fantasy’ for highly paid employees
C-Suiteremote work
CEO of $8 billion Flexport blasts remote work as ‘white-collar fraud’ and a ‘total fantasy’ for highly paid employees
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 24, 2026
11 hours ago
How Home Depot is rebuilding retailing with AI
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How Home Depot is rebuilding retailing with AI
By John KellJune 24, 2026
13 hours ago

Most Popular

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
Economy
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
By Jacqueline MunisJune 24, 2026
23 hours ago
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
2 days ago
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
23 hours ago
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
Retail
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
15 hours ago
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
Asia
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
16 hours ago
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 23, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.