Casino can fire waitresses for gaining weight, court rules

A court in America has ruled that a New Jersey casino can fire employees based on their weight.

The Borgata Hotel Spa & Casino in Atlantic City has recently found itself in a lawsuit with former waitresses, known as the “Borgata Babes,” for redundancies based on appearance. Borgata stipulates in their contracts of employment that waitresses cannot gain or lose more than seven per cent of their bodyweight during their time there.

However, 21 of the cocktail servers launched a lawsuit against their employers, stating that management at the casino treated 11 of their co-workers unfairly based solely on their weight. The company has fired two women in recent months, one for gaining too much weight, and the other for losing too much. And, whilst the court rules that the policy was legal, the jury is now out on considering whether or not the women were subjected to a hostile work environment.

The law suit mentions the uniforms for the waitresses, which include tight fitting corsets, high heels, short skirts, and stockings. It also looks at how they were treated by their supervisors.