ÐÓÊ®°Ëвè·ÖÏí

Skip to main content

Professor Cunningham-Parmeter publishes research on discriminatory customer reviews

by Sarah Bello,

Professor Cunningham-Parmeter

In a new article forthcoming in the UCLA Law Review, Professor Keith Cunningham-Parmeter, an expert on labor and employment law, analyzes the problem of customer discrimination against workers in online reviews. 

From Uber, to Starbucks, to Home Depot, companies increasingly ask customers to rate workers. Gathering data from these ratings, many firms utilize algorithms to make employment decisions, Cunningham-Parmeter writes. Uber, for example, automatically "deactivates" drivers if their average customer rating falls below a predetermined level, around 4.6 stars. This use of customer ratings raises the possibility that some customers may review workers negatively for racist, sexist, or other illegal reasons. 

Without a legal framework to address these changes, the expanding influence of consumer-sourced feedback could undermine fundamental antidiscrimination protections for workers, Cunningham-Parmeter argues. 

"The traditional view of customers as clients assumes that customers have no direct power to discipline or discharge workers," Cunningham-Parmeter says. "Yet today, online review systems allow customers to rate workers and decide their fates." 

Recognizing this shift, the article provides a method of understanding the legal responsibility that companies should assume for discriminatory customer reviews. 

Read "."

About ÐÓÊ®°Ëвè·ÖÏí College of Law

ÐÓÊ®°Ëвè·ÖÏí College of Law was the first law school to open in the Pacific Northwest. Building on deep historic roots, we focus with pride on educating the next generation of problem-solving lawyers and leaders. Our location in Salem, Oregon, directly across the street from the Oregon State Capitol and Supreme Court, cannot be matched in the region. Our thought-leading scholars advance and promote our shared responsibility to make a difference in society, placing justice, fairness, and equality at the heart of everything we do.

Related Stories

View All
Willamette University

Students cultivate skills and advocate for change through summer fellowships

09.13.2024 | Jessica Rotter

WUPILP’s summer fellowships provide students with valuable experience in public interest law.

Willamette University

Willamette’s new students: thinkers, doers, and leaders poised to make an impact

09.05.2024 | Paul McKean

ÐÓÊ®°Ëвè·ÖÏí kicked off a new academic year with joy and energy across its five colleges, welcoming an accomplished and innovative group of future change makers to its campuses.

Willamette University

New Willamette faculty bring expertise and excellence to the classroom

09.05.2024 | Paul McKean

An impressive lineup of new faculty members — including a former public defender, an Emmy award-winning animator, a global public health advocate, and a Disney artist — will provide valuable learning opportunities for students.

ÐÓÊ®°Ëвè·ÖÏí

University Communications

Address
Waller Hall, Fourth Floor
ÐÓÊ®°Ëвè·ÖÏí
900 State Street
Salem Oregon 97301 U.S.A.