One of the most important provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is that employers cannot discriminate against qualified employees who happen to have disabilities. One of the main ways of preventing discrimination is requiring employers to make “reasonable accommodations” for certain mental or physical limitations that employees face. Installing ramps for… Read More
Posts Categorized In: Workplace Discrimination
Oregon's New Hairstyling Law Breaks Down Barriers to Employment
It is no exaggeration to say that race has played a fairly prominent role in the evolution of employment rights in American history. Whether it was the right of African-Americans to be paid for their labor at all, as opposed to being considered the property of other human beings, or the right of all people… Read More
Most Small Businesses Protect LGBT Employees
Employment laws that protect the rights of LGBT employees have been a hot button topic for some time now. In addition to marriage equality, workplace protections seek to make discrimination against LGBT employees similar to other protections individuals receive. Did you know that more than two-thirds of small business owners across the state of Washington… Read More
Are Language Gaps A Form of Discrimination?
Some employees do not share the same language as their employer or fellow employees. Does this language barrier constitute a form of actionable employment discrimination in Washington? It could if it is properly argued as a type of illegal national origin discrimination. The Denver Post reports that a group of Auraria, Colorado janitors recently filed… Read More
Oregon Legislature Works to Protect Unpaid Interns From Harassment and Discrimination
It can often seem that business interests and employment rights concerns are working at cross-purposes to each other. Advocates from both groups can often present almost knee-jerk opposition to any proposal from the other side. Nevertheless, the two sides manage every so often to negotiate their way into a compromise that benefits all parties. Such… Read More
Factors in Calculating Age Discrimination Damages
Let’s face it—people are working longer. Rather than sailing off into the sunset, many Washington employees are either staying at their current place of employment for years longer than the previous generation or re-entering the workforce after time off. For many, the reason an older employee is punching a time clock rather than enjoying his… Read More
Portland Teacher Claims He Was Fired for Expressing His Religious Beliefs
Questions of free speech in schools are always fraught with complications – whether it involves student protesters of the Vietnam War or teachers expressing their moral or political beliefs to their students. One Portland teacher, who claims that his job is in danger because of his vocal opposition to Planned Parenthood, has become a case… Read More
Seattle Has Nation's Largest Gender Pay Gap
The pay gap between men and women is wider in Settle than any other major city, according to a recent report by the National Partnership for National Partnership for Women and Families and Families. More specifically, full-time employed Seattle women make a mere 73 cents for every dollar her male counterpart makes. It may be… Read More
What is Differential Treatment?
Different is good, right? Well, sometimes. In a Washington employment law context, different is not usually a good thing. Different is an adjective most often used to show how certain employees are being treated differently because of something he or she cannot change about themselves. What the term differential treatment is really getting at is… Read More
Understanding Washington Disability Discrimination
Not hired for a position because of a disability?Fired from a job because of a disability? Passed up for a promotion or raise at work because of a disability? Those are just a few general examples of how Washington disability discrimination can manifest itself in the workplace. And unfortunately, this type of discrimination happens more… Read More