A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit serves as a reminder that an employer should be prepared to justify any pay differential between male and female employees. Most employers are aware that the Equal Pay Act requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for equal work. Employees’ jobs that are being compared must require substantially equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and must be performed under similar working conditions.
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Employers Should ‘Pay’ Attention to Recent Fifth Circuit Case About Equal Pay Act Requirements Posted on: March 05, 2021 In: Labor & Employment
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Everyone’s A (Potential) Whistleblower! Posted on: July 31, 2020 In: Labor & Employment
Most employers are familiar with the anti-retaliation provisions of their state’s anti-discrimination statutes and Title VII under federal law. These laws create robust rights of action for current and former employees who allege they were retaliated against for complaining of discrimination or harassment in the workplace. They also carry with them the threat of hefty damages verdicts for employees, and awards of attorneys’ fees that sometimes dwarf the sum of the damages themselves.
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U.S. Supreme Court Outlaws Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ Employees Posted on: June 15, 2020 In: Labor & Employment
On June 15, 2020, the United States Supreme Court held that Title VII, the federal employment law that prohibits discrimination “because of sex,” bars discrimination based on an individual’s sexual orientation and transgender status. Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and four liberal members of the Court, penned the 6-3 decision granting nationwide protection to LGBTQ+ employees.
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What Exactly is “Associational Race Discrimination” under the FEHA? Posted on: January 07, 2020 In: Labor & Employment
In California, the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) prohibits discrimination based on race, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex and gender, among other categories. In addition, the FEHA provides an express cause of action for discrimination based on association with individuals in a category protected by the Act. These types of claims primarily arise in the context of disability discrimination.
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A Fair-Minded and Welcoming Workplace for All Posted on: April 22, 2019 In: Labor & Employment
While Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964—the federal law prohibiting discrimination by private employers—does not expressly include sexual orientation or gender identity as protected classes, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), consistent with U.S. Supreme Court case law, has taken the position that Title VII's prohibition of sex discrimination forbids employment discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation, protections which apply regardless of any contrary laws.
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