Both federal and state laws protect against wage discrimination based on sex. The passing of Alabama’s Clarke-Figures Equal Pay Act (CFEPA) also forbids wage discrimination based on sex and race. Do I have a claim under the federal EPA or Alabama’s CFEPA? Under the federal Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. § 206(d), a plaintiff must… Read More
Lax Vetting Allows Harassers to Thrive in the Legal Industry
Much like in other industries, law firms are not immune to sexual harassment. Unfortunately, law-firm management can be reluctant to discipline partners who are accused of sexual harassment especially if they generate big revenue for the firm. Many times, harassers are in powerful positions making it unlikely that the harassment will be reported and even… Read More
Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Discrimination
Employment non-discrimination laws protect LGBT individuals from being unfairly discriminated against in the workplace by private employers. Unfortunately, not all states provide these protections. Alabama, for example, does not have any statewide laws prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. While there are local ordinances in Birmingham and Montevallo which aim to… Read More
Common Types of Employment Discrimination Claims
Many Alabamians are suffering the consequences of having been terminated or repeatedly denied employment. While employers across the State of Alabama are given somewhat free reign to hire and fire employees in an “at will” employment system, the employers cannot rely upon discriminatory motives when making those decisions. On average, more than 80,000 employment discrimination… Read More
What Legal Protections do Employees Have despite Alabama’s At-Will Employment?
Most people understand that Alabama is an at-will employment state. Simply stated, that means that an employer can fire an employee for any reason, a bad reason or even without providing a reason. While the at will employment doctrine certainly limits legal protections for the Alabama workforce, there are still numerous law that an Alabama… Read More
Fed Ex Pays $3 Million to Resolve Allegations of Discrimination in Hiring Practices
Fed Ex has agreed to pay $3 million to resolve allegations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs that the company’s hiring practices were discriminatory. The Department of Labor discovered the alleged discriminatory practices while performing a yearly audit of contractors who work with the Federal Government. The agency claimed… Read More
EEOC Report: Discrimination against pregnant woment in workplace increasing
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), pregnancy discrimination has become more frequent in the U.S. over the past ten years. A new EEOC report showed over 50,000 new charges by women alleging they had been discriminated by the employer related to their pregnancies. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act was enacted to protect pregnant women and new moms from discrimination in the workplace… Read More
Federal Judge sets trial date for Phenix City Police Gender Discrimination Suit
A federal judge has scheduled an April trial date for a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by a female Phenix City police sergeant. Sgt. Christina J. Presley filed suit against Phenix City alleging she lost a promotion and was improperly suspended in 2009 for disobeying orders related to her refusal to jail a suspect of second-degree assault. The plaintiff claimed she was treated… Read More