Employers are not allowed to discriminate based on a person’s color, race, ancestry, and other innate characteristics, but those discriminatory practices still exist in the workplace. Over the years, they have become more discreet, but an experienced workplace discrimination attorney knows the signs of an unfair work environment.
State law protects your rights to work in a fair, non-threatening, non-discriminatory environment. Most employers have implemented policies for employees to report discrimination and, upon investigation, resolve problems legally. Unfortunately, some employers and other employees harass, demean, and treat others unlike them differently. When you believe you were targeted for unfair treatment because of the color of your skin, a Sacramento race discrimination lawyer at Erkel Law, P.C. can advise you.
Employers must follow the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), which prohibits discrimination in employment and housing for protected classes, including for one’s race, under California Civil Code Section 12940.
Some common ways race discrimination occurs in the workplace include:
Some companies may object to dreadlocks for safety reasons, and a policy employees must tie up or contain their hair so it does not hang down could be appropriate for people working around food or dangerous equipment. A race discrimination lawyer in Sacramento could determine whether company policies are based on the need for safety and not racial discrimination.
When a company’s culture permits racial discrimination and internal complaints are ignored, targeted employees can file regulatory complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or with the state’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH).
To sue for discrimination, an agency must first issue a right-to-sue letter. This step is called administrative exhaustion. Employees should seek legal counsel. Employers’ attorneys will try to discredit the claim when a lawsuit is filed. The EEOC or DFEH can investigate complaints, but it will take time. At Erkel Law, P.C., a race discrimination lawyer in Sacramento could present an employee’s case to a jury and recover a damages award that includes lost wages, payment for emotional distress, attorney’s fees, and, in some cases, punitive damages.
No decision your employer makes about your pay, position, or termination should consider that you are an employee of color. Your opportunities for advancement should be based on talent, work ethic, and job performance. Anything short of that is discrimination.
You have recourse when discrimination rears its ugly head at work. Call a Sacramento race discrimination lawyer at Erkel Law, P.C. for help navigating the complex federal and state laws affecting your situation.