It seems that in the last few years, the Highest Employment Discrimination Lawsuits have been registered in the United States, with a staggering of 99922 claims filed in 2010, according to data from the EEOC. Even though many attribute the higher number of claims due to the economical climate, many others say that people are becoming more and more aware of their rights and want to stand up for them as best as they can.
The 7,1 percent rise in 2009 comprises job bias claims regarding national origin, disability, age, sex and race, but also claims filed under the Equal Pay Act and “retaliation”. The latter is when employers punish employees seeking assistance internally or with the EEOC in what regards possible discrimination. This translated to a total of 36258 cases filed.
Racial discrimination came in second place with a total of 35890 cases, while sex and disability discriminations came in third and fourth place, with 29029 and 25165 cases respectively. Lastly, there were 23264 age discrimination claims, based on the info reported by the EEOC, while the claims on religion amounted to just 3790. In 2010, a total of almost 100 thousand private sector workplace discrimination charges were filed, which makes observers believe there is another, bigger reason for the rise in complaints.
One of the things that might have contributed to the rise in number of discrimination lawsuits come from the EEOC which has undergone some changes, which, some analysts believe have triggered the increase in the number of claims filed. At the same time, Audrey Mross, who is an employment lawyer, said that individuals are getting more and more informed about their rights and that they’re taking action to safeguard and exercise them.
On top of that, the changes which occurred in 2008 to the Americans with Disabilities Act managed to offer a lot of support to those who wanted to file a lawsuit against employers which were biased regarding them. Mross explained that the EEOC includes disabled people as a category of citizens which is vehemently protects and puts a very larger emphasis on.
However, it seems that the greatest case of employee discrimination was decided by the United States Supreme Court. The practices and policies of Wal-Mart stores were very discriminating and this led to similar decisions over promotions and pay, meaning that female workers would now be entitled to be compensated for the fact that they’ve been discriminated.
According to Justice Antonin Scalia, Wal-Mart held a policy which disapproved of uniform employment practices, delegating plenty of promotions and hiring policies to local managers. That is why because of this variance, a class action suit was just not possible.
It seems that everywhere in the country there are countless individuals who are discriminated based on various reasons and because of this, they will not only question their importance in the company they work in, but will also feel angrier and more frustrated with how they are treated and file a lawsuit. Because there are many laws that support them in their action, many employees can now make justice for themselves by taking this route.
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