Federal and state laws prohibit employers from taking “adverse employment action” against someone for being a member of a protected class. Protected classes are those who are considered “minorities.” Your age, sex, religion, race, creed, or skin color might put you in a protected class. Anti-discrimination laws do not protect employees from petty insults or…
Read MoreNorthern Star (Pogo) LLC, an Alaska-based gold mining company, agreed to pay $690,000 and provide other relief to resolve a discrimination and retaliation action. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the company refused to promote a woman and instead promoted other, less-qualified male candidates. When Hanna Hurst applied for the promotion and then complained, Northern Star…
Read MoreMany EEOC cases involve sexual harassment claims. The EEOC is anxious to resolve these cases, and that attitude sometimes works in the defendant’s favor. On June 25, 2017, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that Anchor Staffing would pay $30,000 to settle sexual harassment and retaliation allegations. Court documents state that the temporary agency refused to give…
Read MoreHate crimes against Muslims have never been higher in the U.S. than now. Even in 2001 after the September 11th attack on the Twin Towers, hate crimes against Muslims were fewer, according to the Pew Research Center. Hate crimes are not always easy to prove, and only a fraction of hate crimes are even treated or…
Read MoreAs an Employer, When is the Company Held Liable for Sexual Harassment? Employers, whether they are small or large, have many responsibilities in the workplace and these responsibilities are not limited to taking stock of inventory or answering to shareholders. As an employer, you must not only treat your employees with respect and avoid discrimination,…
Read MoreThe Committee on Workplace Development and Audit within the Chicago City Council voted to amend the Municipal Code to mandate that hotel employer to provide its employees with mobile panic devices when they work in and around bathrooms and guest rooms. This new ordinance was enacted in largely based on survey responses indicating that nearly…
Read MoreReports of sexual harassment in the workplace are making national headlines on a daily basis. From Harvey Weinstein to Matt Lauer, it is apparent that female employees are being subjected to extremely disturbing behavior and sexual advances by supervisors. If you find yourself in a situation where a supervisor is making unwanted advances or displaying…
Read MoreEmployees have a legal right to work in conditions that are free from any harassment that is motivated by illegal reasons such as race or gender. Whether it is sexual harassment, verbal abuse on racial or some form of physical bullying, the harassment needs to stop now. Harassment is not always a clear cut issue…
Read MoreThe Will County Public Defender’s Office recently settled a sexual harassment lawsuit with a pair of employees alleging they were subject to inappropriate comments and passed over for promotions after bringing the allegations to light. One plaintiff also alleged she was harassed and discriminated against due to her pregnancy. The case began in 2014 when the plaintiffs…
Read MoreSexual harassment is despicable, demeaning behavior with no place in any job, and it must be taken seriously in order to be eliminated as a threat to employees. Sadly, employers do not always see it that way and often times supervisors abuse their authority and perpetrate these types of acts themselves, which makes exposing it all…
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