Carvana Fires Employees Over Zoom Call as the Company Sinks to New Lows

 

Carvana vending station

Carvana - the car company known to many as the company that sells cars from a vending machine - has reached new lows, in more ways than one.

Carvana Fired 2500 Employees over Zoom

CBS News has reported that Carvana has fired 2,500 mostly operation division employees over a Zoom call. In addition to the firings, many executives had their pay suspended after the company reported lost $506 million in the first quarter of 2022. (Automotive News).

Is the U.S. Economy to Blame?

Carvana has blamed their failing business to a "car recession" in the United States. Economically speaking, rising interest rates in the U.S. and higher gas prices have negatively impacted Carvana's car sales in the first quarter of 2022.

CEO Ernie Garcia III says that the laid off employees will receive four weeks of pay plus one additional week of pay for each year they have been with the company.

One of Carvana's employee Jay Romero said that one of Carvana's internal slogans is: "Treat customers as you would treat your own Mom," however after being laid off in a very shady manner, he definitely did not feel that Carvana was treating him with respect. He shared that he felt his employment was a "scary experience" with "little to no support from anybody, from team leads or management."

A Disrespectful Carvana Layoff via Zoom

His layoff took place shortly after receiving an email about companywide layoffs from CEO Ernie Garcia. He was not fired by his direct managers. Rather, he started losing access to company systems, his email and Slack. He then received a text to participate in a Zoom meeting later that morning. In the Zoom meeting, a woman informed him that his job was cut. 

Carvana Stock Surged May 12, 2022

Despite the layoff news and gloomy outlook in the near future for Carvana, the stock price surges several times on Thursday, May 12, even requiring the stock market to halt trading several times. In this same trading day, the stock price had reached a two-year low, before surging 24%. This was reported by CNBC. 

Barron's has even compared Carvana to meme stocks, such as AMC and Gamestop.

Sources:

Lenihan, Rob. "Carvana, the 'Amazon of Car dealers', is in Deep Trouble." The Street. 17 May 2022.

Miao, Hannah. "Heavily shorted online used car seller Carvana surges nearly 25%, is halted several times." CNBC. 13 May 2022.

Moore, C.J. "Carvana, Vroom and Shift see stock prices, fortunes fall" Automotive News. 13 May 2022.

Picchi, Aimee. "Carvana fires 2,500 workers, some via Zoom: 'It was so disrespectful.'" CBS News. 12 May 2022.

Johnson & Johnson Aveeno Neutrogena Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Awards $1.75 Million

 

Aveeno Neutrogena aerosol sunscreen spray

Large consumer brand Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay out $1.75 million in vouchers as a result of a class action settlement from claims that Neutrogena and Aveeno aerosol sunscreen spray products were contaminated with a cancer ingredient (Benzene), known as carcinogens.

If you purchased certain Aveeno or Neutrogena sunscreen products between May 26, 2015 and April 8, 2022, you are entitled to participate in this class action settlement lawsuit.

Neutrogena Beach Defense Aerosol spray (pictured without oxybenzone)

Johnson & Johnson Aveeno Neutrogena Aerosol Spray Containing Benzene

The products containing Benzene were:

• Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Lotion
• Aveeno Protect + Refresh Aerosol Sunscreen
• Neutrogena Beach Defense Aerosol Sunscreen
• Neutrogena Cool Dry Sport Aerosol Sunscreen
• Neutrogena Invisible Daily Defense Aerosol Sunscreen
• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Water Resistant Sunscreen Lotion
• Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Dry-Touch Face Sunscreen Lotion

If you used these Johnson & Johnson Aveeno Neutrogena aerosol sunscreen spray products between May 26, 2015, and April 8, 2022, you are eligible to participate in this class action settlement lawsuit. If you have these products in your home that were purchased between these dates, stop using them immediately! They have been found to contain Benzene carcinogens that cause cancer.

Johnson & Johnson Aveeno Neutrogena Voluntary Product Recall in July 2021

In July 2021, Johnson & Johnson issued a recall of aerosol sunscreen spray products of the brands listed above after third-party testing found that the cancer ingredient, Benzene was present. Johnson & Johnson admitted on their website that these products may not be safe for use. Benzene is known to cause leukemia and lymphoma, which are blood-related cancers. 

Consumers that used these products understood that they were put at risk of getting these blood cancers by Johnson & Johnson's products marketed under the brands, Aveeno and Neutrogena. Consumers took legal action against the company, as they rightfully believed that it was dangerous for Johnson & Johnson to sell contaminated aerosol spray sunscreen products.

If you want to participate in this settlement and receive benefits, you must submit a valid claim form by the deadline: July 7, 2022. 

The final approval hearing for this settlement is currently scheduled for: August 12, 2022.

The website to file a claim is: SunProductSettlement.com

Johnson & Johnson Public Recall Statement

On July 14, 2021, Johnson & Johnson released a statement regarding benzene found in Aveeno and Neutrogena aerosol spray sunscreens.

According to their own admission on their website:

"Benzene is classified as a human carcinogen, a substance that could potentially cause cancer depending on the level and extent of exposure. Benzene is ubiquitous in the environment. Humans around the world have daily exposure indoors and outdoors from multiple sources. Benzene can be absorbed, to varying degrees by inhalation, through the skin, and orally. Based on exposure modeling and the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) framework, daily exposure to benzene in these aerosol sunscreen products at the levels detected in our testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences. Out of an abundance of caution, we are recalling all lots of these specific aerosol sunscreen products."

The intelligent consumer may read this and ask: Did Johnson & Johnson test and market these products with the knowledge that benzene was present?

Have you used these products?

If you have used or have been in contact with a person that used these aerosol spray sunscreen products and have experienced an adverse reaction, you are encouraged to report your event to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at this website:

www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm

Click the red button that says, "Report a Problem."

FDA Reporting website

Is Lawsuit Settlement Income Taxable?

Is Lawsuit Settlement Income taxable?

The IRS considers lawsuit settlement income taxable.Taxable? Personal injury settlements are the exception to this. If you specifically receive a personal injury settlement, then the money is not taxable.

Sources:

Johnson & Johson website. "Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. Issues Voluntary Recall of Specific Neutrogena and Aveeno Aerosol Sunscreen Products Due to the Presence of Benzene." 14 July 2021.

Is Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18 Helping the City Fix Homelessness?

 

Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18 affects the homeless

41.18 is an Ordinance that Affects Homeless People in Los Angeles

True statistic: The city of Los Angeles only has enough shelter beds to house 39% of the city's homeless population. 

The residents of Los Angeles and the state of California understand the serious problems that come with a large homeless population, but without a proper solution to address it. Those who experience homelessness and oppose Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18 can be seen wearing buttons or t-shirts that read: "41.18=Death."

Nine months after the city of Los Angeles passed the new and revised ordinance 41.18, city workers installed more than 100 metal signs at various locations throughout the city with a warning to the homeless population that they must leave those specific locations.

What is Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18?

In 2021, the city of Los Angeles passed a law to take on the homeless population known as Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18, (or LAMC 41.18), which says it is illegal to sit, sleep, and lie down on any street, sidewalk, and public right-of-way.

Will this new and revised LAMC 41.18 help homelessness?

It appears that the City Council is trying to legislate the homeless problem away without actually solving it. Most of the homeless affected are left asking: "Where am I supposed to go?"

New and Revised Version of Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18 was Approved by the City Council in July 2021

The Los Angeles city council approved the new and revised version of Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18 on Wednesday, July 28, and on Thursday, July 29, it was signed by the Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Two city council members, one being Mike Bonin, opposed this revised version of 41.18. 

What did the revised version of Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18 do?

The new and revised version of LAMC 41.18 expands this ordinance to include:

• being within 2 feet of any fire hydrant
• being within 5 feet of any operational entrance or exit
• being within 10 feet of a loading dock or driveway
• Daycare centers
• Libraries
• Parks
• Schools

Note: Enforcement in new areas cannot take place until the city council has reviewed and voted on the new area.

The ordinance allows the City Council to include by resolution areas within 500 feet of the following locations:

• Bridges
• Freeway ramps
• Pedestrian bridges
• Overpasses
  
• Subways
• Tunnels
• Underpasses
• Washes or spreading grounds

The Los Angeles city council can also pass by resolution areas within 1,000 feet of any place opened since 2018 that provides shelter, safe sleeping, safe parking, or navigation centers for people experiencing homelessness.

LAMC 41.18 is not supposed to impact homeless encampments in city parks, however, other ordinances already ban camping in Los Angeles parks.

Council Member Mike Bonin Opposed the New and Revised LAMC 41.18

Mike Bonin posted his passionate position on July 1, 2021, with comments on this issue on why he did not agree with the new and revised LAMC 41.18. In the video, he personally speaks about his opposition to the revised LAMC 41.18 but also gives his first-hand perspective of being homeless at one time in his life.

You can watch that video below:

Sources:

Mike Bonin, 11th District Councilmember. FAQ

Smith, Doug. "L.A.'s crackdown on homeless camping off to slow start with little enforcement." Los Angeles Times. 02 May 2022

Zahniser, David and Benjamin Oreskes. "L.A. finalizes its anti-camping law, setting the stage for vote-by-vote enforcement. 28 July 2021.