South Florida Personal Injury Blog

Broward injury lawyers Andrew Alitowski and William Moore represent clients who have suffered racial discrimination. The Civil Rights Act, which President Lyndon Johnson signed into law in 1964, prevents employers from engaging in any kind of discrimination on the basis of race. Fort Lauderdale employment discrimination attorney Alitowski advises that this includes discrimination at any stage of employment, including hiring.

For example, an employer cannot refuse to hire an African-American applicant in favor of a Caucasian applicant on the basis of race. This is true even if the employer believes that, for whatever reason, his customers or clients would respond better to a person of a certain race (or not of a certain race). The Fort Lauderdale discrimination lawyers also note that employers cannot discriminate during training. This means that an employer cannot elect to train people of certain races for better positions or give them more comprehensive training, if these actions are done on the basis of race. Likewise, an employer should not take race into consideration when evaluating employees for promotions or at any stage of employment. Racial harassment or a pattern of racial discrimination are both good evidence of ongoing discrimination in the workplace. Racial jokes can make employees feel uncomfortable and as though they cannot advance at their jobs, which is tremendously problematic. An experienced and compassionate Broward employment discrimination attorney can advise you of your rights in the workplace.

Discrimination on the basis of national origin is similar to racial discrimination in your workplace. Like the racial discrimination ban, the national origin discrimination provisions are found in the Civil Rights Act, a sweeping piece of federal legislation that has changed the social landscape of American in the 45 years since it was enacted. It is illegal for an employer to discriminate against you on the basis of where you were born or where your family originated. This is true even in the post-September 11 world, because the laws of the United States are designed to protect everyone, even when particular ethnic groups become unpopular due to political circumstances. For instance, an employer cannot refuse to hire a job applicant because of his ideas about people of Middle Eastern descent, nor is it acceptable for co-workers and superiors to crack jokes about a person’s heritage or national origin when it makes that person feel intimidated.

Harassment or discrimination on the basis of sex, race, national origin, religion, pregnancy status, and disability are not only wrong, but they are also against the law. An experienced employment discrimination attorney can advise you of the best course of action in your particular case. You may be entitled to recover damages, including compensation for the wages you lost when you were passed over for promotions due to your race or national origin.