LNK International, Inc., a pharmaceutical manufacturer located in New York, has agreed to pay $220,000 to settle charges of discrimination in its employment practices. The charges, issued by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), indicate that the company was engaged in practices that discriminated against lawful permanent residents and other legal immigrants. The settlement shows what kind of hardship immigrants can face when seeking employment, even when they are in the United States legally. Continue reading “NY Pharma Company Pays $220K to Settle Discrimination Charges”
Tag: discrimination
Uber Sued For Discrimination in Background Checks
Uber Technologies, Inc., the company behind popular ride-sharing service Uber, has been sued in the Southern District of New York for allegedly violating anti-discrimination laws via its use of background checks. The class action suit alleges that Uber illegally discriminated against drivers with criminal histories and bad credit. As a result, numerous drivers were deprived of the ability to drive for Uber without warning and without a rationale given. Continue reading “Uber Sued For Discrimination in Background Checks”
What is Retaliation in Discrimination Law?
Anti-discrimination laws, like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act, prohibit employers from discriminating against their employees due to reasons such as race, gender, color, creed, national origin, and disability status. What many people do not know, however, is that these protections also extend to people who are retaliated against for reporting discrimination. But what is retaliation in the context of discrimination law, and why is it protected against? Continue reading “What is Retaliation in Discrimination Law?”
Who is Protected by Anti-Discrimination Law?
Anti-discrimination laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) exist to help protect against various forms of discrimination, including employment discrimination. But who, exactly, is protected by anti-discrimination laws, and how do you take advantage of these laws if you have been discriminated against? Continue reading “Who is Protected by Anti-Discrimination Law?”
Five Ways Employers Hide Workplace Discrimination
When people think of discrimination, they often think of blatant displays of sexist, racist, or otherwise bigoted behavior. However, not all forms of discrimination are so blatant, although they can have a dramatic impact on an employee’s ability to function and prosper in their workplace. Here are five common ways employers use to try to get away with workplace discrimination: Continue reading “Five Ways Employers Hide Workplace Discrimination”
What is a Protected Class?
Certain laws are meant to protect people against employment discrimination. When an employment discrimination case goes before the court, however, the court asks if the plaintiff was a member of a “protected class.” If they are not, they can have a much harder time winning their case. But what is a protected class, and why does it matter? Continue reading “What is a Protected Class?”
Four Common Kinds of Employer Retaliation
It is illegal under the New York Human Rights Law for an employer in New York State to discriminate against an employee on the basis of race, sex, creed, color, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, marital status, domestic violence victim status, military status, criminal or arrest record, or predisposing genetic information. It is also illegal to retaliate against an employee for making a complaint, either to their employer or to the government, based on discrimination they experience or observe. However, not all forms of retaliation are easy to spot. Here’s just a handful of ways an employee can be retaliated against by their employer:
Being fired or having pay cut
By far one of the most obvious forms of retaliation, an employer accused of discriminating against their employees may simply decide to get rid of the employee who complained about them. Alternately, they may decide to punish an employee by cutting their pay. Obviously, this can have severe economic consequences, and sometimes simply wielding the threat of a firing or a pay cut can be enough to stifle would-be complainants.
Suffering abuse or harassment
Another of the more obvious forms of retaliation, an employer who is displeased with an employee complaint can simply choose to berate, harass, intimidate, or even assault the complaining employee. While, again, these are all illegal, an employer who is already discriminating against their employees may be willing to commit illegal acts to cover up other illegal acts. The goal in harassing or abusing complainants is to either get them to drop their complaints, or to get them to leave the company on their own volition, which would deprive them of any benefits they might otherwise get for having their job terminated.
Getting passed over for promotions or raises
Just as victims of employment discrimination might find their opportunities for advancement within their company cut off, so too might people who complain about discrimination find themselves unable to get raises or promotions, despite the work they put in or the success they have at their job. It becomes a way of quietly smothering a person out of the job, by making it impossible to advance a career. This can be more difficult to prove as people get passed over for raises and promotions all the time, for reasons that have nothing to do with employee retaliation.
Negative employee reviews
An increasingly common way for employers to retaliate against employees who complain about discrimination is to give them bad performance reviews. Employees who previously excelled in their job may find their reviews becoming worse, even if they haven’t changed anything else about their work habits or attitude. The reviews may say they “don’t take direction well,” or that they’re “not a team player,” or that they “lack emotional intelligence.”
If you have been discriminated against by your employer, or have suffered retaliation for complaining about discrimination by your employer, you seek the guidance of an experienced New York employment lawyer who can protect your legal rights and advocate on your behalf during the legal process. Steven Mitchell Sack, the Employee’s Lawyer, is a New York employment lawyer with forty years of experience in handling the many aspects of employment law. To schedule an appointment with New York City employment lawyer Steve Mitchell Sack, call (917) 371-8000.
When Employment Discrimination Gets Sneaky
When people think of employment discrimination, whether based on gender, race, age, sexuality or disability, they usually have a specific picture of what that looks like. They imagine bigoted tirades or inappropriate physical contact, or managers or executives outright declaring their refusal to treat certain kinds of people as equals. That said, with employers now more conscious of lawsuits than ever, discrimination can often take more subtle forms. Continue reading “When Employment Discrimination Gets Sneaky”
Age Discrimination Is Illegal
Recently, a federal lawsuit was filed against Amazon and T-Mobile, among others, for discriminating against older employees in violation of the Age Discrimination Employment Act (ADEA). According to the complaint, these companies posted recruitment advertisements on Facebook, a social media platform, which targeted only specific age groups.
Continue reading “Age Discrimination Is Illegal”
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Public Portal
On November 1, 2017, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) launched a public portal that will give people online access to inquiries about discrimination. “The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information.” The public portal will make EEOC information, as well as personal charge information, easily accessible. The features included in the public portal are currently available for all newly filed charges and any charges that were filed on or after January 1, 2016 that are currently in investigation or mediation. Continue reading “Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Public Portal”
