There are many kinds of discrimination that people face in the workplace. Amongst one such discrimination is the racial discrimination which many employees face due to their nationality and color and race. With the emergence of the Civil Rights Act, 1964 racial discrimination was made illegal during the 1960s. But still, it is practiced today in many places. There are many different kinds of legal rights and remedies available for people who face racial discrimination in the workplace. Civil Rights Act, 1964 has its main objective i.e. to achieve equality amongst African-Americans in all areas of the society. The Civil Rights Act, 1964 has a broader concept and also applies to the racial minorities which include Asians as well as Latinos.
Civil Rights Act, 1964
In any company where there are 15 or more than 15 employees, to those companies the Civil Rights Act, 1964 is applicable. If you have also been a victim of racial discrimination then you will require a lawyer to defend race discrimination lawsuit. There are many good lawyers in California State where you can search them online. Also, you can get specialized lawyers in this matter that solely fights the cases related to racial discrimination. The Civil Rights Act, 1964 covers all the concepts related to employment.
California Law
It includes employment matters related to hiring, termination of a job, promotion, wages, and other employment benefits where you have been treated racially and deserved the best but dint gets it because of the discriminatory nature of the employer at the workplace. Many laws cover the broader concepts related to racism and prohibit racism of any kind at the workplace. For instance, in California, there is a law called the Fair Employment & Housing Act (FEHA) which covers the employees in any workplace where 5 or more employees are working full-time or part-time.
The First Legal Step
Also, there is an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) which has been specially created for the workers/employees who face racial discrimination at the workplace. So, if you have also been mistreated or discriminated against based on your racial characteristics, then the first legal step that you can take is to file a complaint/charge with the EEOC. The EEOC is a pivotal government agency which is liable for handling the cases related to racial discrimination. After you have filed a charge with the EEOC, they will investigate the matter and decide whether they have to take any action or not.
Kinds of Racial Discrimination
In any employment setting the EEOC is the best way through which you can address racial discrimination. And in case if the EEOC is not taking any action related to your case, then it will issue you a ‘right to sue’ which will give you the right to file a lawsuit in the Court of Law. The law of racism describes two kinds of racial discrimination i.e. disparate (unequal) treatment and disparate impact. In disparate treatment, there is clear-cut racism between you and other employees based on race i.e. color or nationality. And the disparate impact is a kind of racism that will appear neutral on the surface but have a discriminatory impact on the work.
Final Words –
Many lawyers will charge on a contingency basis for racial discrimination lawsuits. And many of the lawyers do the initial consultation for free. This helps the people in need to have access to the lawyers easily. So, you should always choose such kind of law firms where the consultation is free so that at least you can discuss your case and get an idea as to what steps you should take.