Employment Law

Personal Injury

Addressing race discrimination in a work environment

by | Apr 5, 2018 | Race Discrimination |

While the nation has taken a progressive stance toward many issues over recent years, it still sees an overwhelming number of cases regarding race discrimination. All employees — no matter the industry — receive protection from harassment under state law. Nevertheless, countless Missouri employees file complaints. Below are some of the basics when it comes to filing a discrimination complaint, as well as a picture of what race discrimination looks like in America today.

First and foremost, Workplace Fairness defines race discrimination as the different treatment of individuals based solely on their color or race. When it comes to coverage, the organization dovetails from the aforementioned point by noting that Title VII covers the following:

  • All employers
  • Educational institutions (with 15 or more employees)
  • State and local governments
  • Labor organizations
  • Public and private employment agencies

In addition, Title VII also covers joint labor management teams. A surprising fact to many, these regulations protect job applicants, as well as employees. Any employer who refuses to hire an applicant because of his or her race could face legal repercussions.

In a 2015 report, CNN Money acknowledges the widespread issue of race discrimination, especially concerning Hispanics and African Americans. CNN uses a study to show that a shocking 69 percent of black workers and 57 percent of Hispanic workers claim that discrimination is the number one issue that people in these respective groups face. An equally disturbing number of those surveyed also claimed to have faced discrimination specifically while at work. Although spreading awareness about this problem is certainly important, CNN also points out that many employees struggle to prove their cases; employers are often slow to admit that an incident involved a person’s race. This type of discrimination has plagued the workplace for decades, but it seems that the country has a long way to go when it comes to treating all races equally as a whole.    

 

  

FindLaw Network