As an employee, you have a lot of rights under state and federal law. Unfortunately, someone may breach those rights on occasion, and one the most common ways they may do this is through discrimination. That could be discrimination based on a disablity you live with, your immigration status, your country of origin, you being pregnant or a host of other things that the law prohibits discrimination on.
If that happens, then you can exercise another of your rights – that of reporting the discrimination. This applies whether your employer was the one doing the discriminating or it was done by a colleague or client of the business.
Retaliation might occur
Some employers will take your complaint with the seriousness it deserves and find a prompt remedy to ensure the discrimination does not happen again. Others may fail in their handling of it, and tell you to stop complaining or say they will investigate, but do nothing. Others still could punish you in retaliation for speaking up.
Ways they might do this include firing you or not giving you any more shifts, moving you to less favorable shifts or positions, stripping you of responsibilities or passing you by for promotions that you would otherwise be considered for. Other retaliatory actions might include ostracizing you within the workplace or even making direct threats against you.
Note that it might not be the company or the boss doing this to you. It might just be a manager or HR person acting without the knowledge of their superiors. It does not matter. Your employer has to provide you with a workplace free from discrimination where you are free to speak up for your rights without fear of retaliation. Learning about your legal options may be necessary where a solution is not forthcoming.