The issue of lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender rights has been in the spotlight as of late, not least of all due to the highly anticipated decisions on the issue that were released by the Supreme Court recently. Those decisions, known colloquially as the DOMA and Prop 8 decisions, bolstered LGBT rights advocates and were… Read More
Posts Categorized In: Workplace Discrimination
Proving Pretext in Age Discrimination Claims
A jury found that Seattle Central Community College (“SCCC”) did not wrongfully discriminate against 73-year old administrator Joan Ray because of her age, according to an article posted on Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. Ray had filed an age discrimination lawsuit against SCCC when it did not renew her contract and replaced her with a younger… Read More
Supreme Court Limits Justice for Employees
In the midst of the United States Supreme Court’s decisions regarding DOMA, Proposition 8, and the Voting Rights Act, two decisions affecting discriminated employees have been overlooked by many. The decisions are both very important, however, since they both make it more difficult for employees to hold their employers responsible for Title VII violations. One… Read More
Employer's English-Only Policy Leads to Discrimination Lawsuit
An article from the Seattle P-I reports that the ACLU has filed a discrimination lawsuit on behalf of Bryan Baldizan and Lupe Gonzales, two Whole Foods employees suspended for complaining about the store’s English-only policy. We recently discussed that language gaps in the workplace might be a form of discrimination based on national origin. In… Read More
Oregon and Federal Laws Against LGBT Employee Discrimination
Many laws exist on the state and federal level prohibiting employment discrimination based on factors such as race, color, national origin, age, gender, and disabilities. Employment discrimination refers to any discriminatory employment practices such as bias in hiring, job assignment, promotion, compensation, and termination, as well as various types of harassment. In addition to these… Read More
How Does the DOMA Decision Affect LGBT Employees?
On June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States reached a landmark decision in United States v. Windsor that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA prohibited the federal government from legally recognizing same-sex marriages and from providing federal benefits to same-sex married couples. The decision held that section 3 of… Read More
University of Washington Employees Face Ethics Charges
Two University of Washington employees committed ethical violations by earning overtime pay for personal internet use. An article from Seattle-based KOMO News Network reports that the State Ethics Board found that the UW employees violated rules regarding personal use of state resources. Other state employees can learn from this story to avoid being the subject… Read More
Washington LGBT Employees' Spouses Benefit from DOMA's Demise
Same-sex spouses in Washington gained many employment benefits and rights under federal law when the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”) this June. As this US News article notes, because federal law now recognizes same-sex marriages, LGBT couples will now enjoy federal rights such as tax-free health benefits for spouses and… Read More
Pregnant Employees Often Face Discrimination
Employers routinely deny basic accommodations to pregnant employees, according to a recent report published by the National Women’s Law Center and A Better Balance. The report indicates that women are more likely to face pregnancy discrimination if they have jobs that are typically held by men or low-wage jobs. Regardless of where they work, it… Read More
EEOC Files Hiring Discrimination Lawsuit For Company Background Check Policy
Most Washington residents understand that the law forbids workplace discrimination based on a range of categories: race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. But less understood are the more complex forms that such discrimination can take. It is virtually never the case that an employee will explicitly say “We are not hiring you because you are X,”… Read More