When Employers Discriminate Against Employees ...
Discrimination in the workplace occurs when an employer treats employees differently because of gender, race, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, country of origin, or disability. Class action lawsuits are used when there is a pattern of discrimination, affecting many people.
ClassAction.com: Fighting Workplace Discrimination
What is a pattern of discrimination? When the employer underpays a certain class — for example, women — or has a pattern of not promoting based on race — African-Americans, for example — that is discrimination. It can be difficult to prove, and requires an attorney experienced with employment law as well as with class action litigation.
- Underpaid women: Are women paid a different amount for a job than a man with the same responsibilities? Some companies use different titles for the same work, thereby justifying different pay scales. Pay should be based on work responsibilities, not on titles.
- Race and ethnic discrimination: If a company has a pattern of not hiring or promoting people based on race or ethnicity, that may be cause for a class action discrimination lawsuit.
- Age discrimination: Businesses sometimes decide to lay off older, higher paid employees in order to bring in younger employees willing to work for less. When there is a pattern of age discrimination, the employer may be in violation of federal and state laws that protect older workers.
If you have a concern about discrimination in your workplace, if you feel discrimination has led to less pay or less opportunity to advance, contact ClassAction.com to share your experiences.
