National Origin Discrimination St. Louis

While most businesses, residents, and employers are welcoming to immigrants, their descendants, and people of other nationalities and cultures, unfortunately not everyone treats those who look different than them as equals. In fact, national origin discrimination in the workplace is a serious problem for thousands of employees in St. Louis, whether they are U.S. citizens or not. Because it is illegal for an employer to discriminate against an employee based on their national origin or their perceived national origin, you have an opportunity to right a wrong by working with an attorney and demanding the situation to be mended.

Treating an Employee Unfavorably Because of their Ancestors or Nationality is Discrimination

Under the Missouri Human Rights Act, discrimination based on an employee’s national origin or ancestry is illegal. Workplace discrimination, which is an unfavorable treatment of an employee based on his or her nationality or ancestry, includes the following:

• Refusal to hire;
• Refusal to recruit;
• Refusal to provide equal pay, benefits, promotions, and raises;
• Firing or laying off the employee.

Workplace Harassment is Discrimination and Grounds for a Lawsuit

Even if the employer does not take adverse actions against the employee in terms of pay or hiring, they are still likely committing a civil offense if they harass the employee. Discrimination includes making fun of or threatening employees based on their nationality, and harassment is any of the following

• Ethnic slurs, profanity, yelling, and intimidation;
• Physical and verbal assault;
• Mockery, belittling, condescending, ignoring, or excluding; and
• Much more.

Some forms of harassment are also criminal offenses, and may be charged as hate crimes if it can be proven that the employer was motivated by race.

Refusal to Hire Due to Citizenship Status

Employers are typically allowed to refuse hiring an employee because he or she is not a citizen or does not have a green card. Yet, even though the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 was created to protect the jobs of American workers from illegal aliens by prohibiting employers from hiring them, if an employer uses this rule to deny an ethnic group from seeking employment, that employer will face the consequences of that illegal act.

Call a National Origin Discrimination Lawyer Today for Immediate Legal Assistance

Whether you were discriminated against due to your nationality, your perceived nationality, or your relation to another person or group’s ethnicity, your only chance for justice is to work with an attorney. You may be entitled to your old job back, a raise that was continually denied, or financial compensation. Our lawyers at the St. Louis law offices of HKM Employment Attorneys LLP have been assisting employees for more than 40 years. Call us today for help.