Your Advocates In The Fight Against Race And Ethnicity Discrimination In The Workplace
America has a long and difficult history of racism and xenophobia, and these problems remain pervasive to this day. If you believe that you suffered workplace discrimination due to your race or national origin, Maloney O'Laughlin PLLC is ready to help you hold the employer liable and seek damages on your behalf.
Our firm is entirely devoted to representing employees in employment law disputes. We understand how to thoroughly investigate allegations, gather evidence and protect your rights throughout the process.
Understanding The Scope Of Discriminatory Practices
Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it is illegal for employers to discriminate against employees or job candidates based on race/color or ethnicity. These protections are also enshrined in other federal and state laws as well. Employment discrimination, in this case, isn’t just limited to hiring and firing but also to job training, promotion, pay, work assignments, or other employment traits or benefits.
Discrimination could be based on a wide variety of characteristics (real or perceived), including:
- Skin color (which is not always the same as race)
- Hair texture
- Certain facial features
- The supposed racial or ethnic qualities of a person’s name
- Stereotypes associated with a particular race or country
- Cultural dress or customs
- Speaking with an accent
These are just a few of many examples of characteristics that often serve as a basis for discrimination.
Documenting Patterns And Gathering Evidence
Most employers with discriminatory intent have enough sense to lie about their motives. Many employers will not admit to making employment decisions based on race or ethnicity. Therefore, proving these cases can be difficult but not impossible.
While investigating your case, our attorneys might look for evidence of larger patterns that suggest discrimination against numerous employees based on similar characteristics. Examples could include:
- Documents showing that black employees are promoted far less often than white ones despite applying at similar rates
- Pay practices showing that employees who are immigrants or who are minorities are paid less than others for the same work or in the same positions
- Workplace rules and policies that seemed designed to only apply to people of certain races or ethnicities
- Workplace rules and policies that are unevenly enforced among different groups of workers
These larger sources of evidence can be combined with your own personal experiences of discrimination in the workplace, including hearing racial slurs, inappropriate jokes, insulting/probing questions about your background and other forms of hostile behavior.
Our Attorneys Are Here To Help – Contact Us Today
Maloney O'Laughlin PLLC is based in Seattle, and we represent employees throughout Washington. If you’ve been the victim of race or ethnicity discrimination and don’t know what to do next, contact us to discuss your options with our skilled and caring attorneys. Call 206-536-2338 or fill out our online contact form.