The killing of George Floyd, an African American, at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer, was a tragic moment in our country’s history. It has sparked weeks of public protests in cities and states across the U.S. Individuals have gone to the streets to voice their concerns about the issues of racial injustice in American society. While police brutality may be at the forefront, the movement is aimed at shedding light on all areas of racial inequality. Many high-profile figures, from politicians to stars to professional athletes, have been vocal about their condemnation of racial bias. They have further indicated in no uncertain terms that any individual, company, or organization that remains silent on issues of racial inequality is in fact complacent and part of the problem.
Continue Reading The Important Role Employers Play in Addressing Racism in Light of the George Floyd Tragedy
Extraordinary Employee Misconduct: Monkeying Around in the Workplace!
This is a new entry in our occasional series on extremely bad behavior by employees. I am constantly amazed by the lack of awareness and judgment exhibited by employees in the workplace. I was baffled when I read Hennessey v. Dollar Bank, FSB, a case in which a Caucasian employee at Dollar Bank was terminated when, over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, he hung a brown monkey from the ceiling of a workspace utilized by African American employees.
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Yes, Unions Discriminate Against Workers Too!
Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that it entered into a consent decree resolving its race discrimination lawsuit against a union representing firefighters. This is particularly ironic, given that unions hold themselves out as advocates for workers’ rights.
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EEOC Highlights New Types of Race Discrimination
I was recently perusing the latest edition of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s federal sector Digest of Equal Employment Opportunity Law (because, yes, I am that much of an employment law nerd) and came across an interesting article, “Race Discrimination in the 21st Century Workplace,” by EEOC attorney Paula Rene Bruner. The article specifically “attempt[s] to highlight newer types of race discrimination that have emerged in the 21st century federal, public, and private employment sectors.”
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