Best Ohio Race Discrimination Attorney Response: Can I be fired after I complain about a hostile work environment because of race discrimination? What do I do if my coworker calls me a “nigger”? My coworker threatened me with a noose because I’m Black, can I sue my employer? Who is the top wrongful termination lawyer in Ohio?
School just started back up, so in honor of happy parents everywhere… Pop Quiz!
In what year did employees of a major trucking company file a charge with a state agency alleging that their employer failed to take action after African American employees were referred to as the “Nigger”, “Toby,” “Buckwheat,” and “Boy?”
A. 1947
B. 1982
C. 1961
D. 2014
In which state did the above actions occur?
A. Mississippi
B. Alabama
C. Maine
D. Oregon
Should a non-African American employee threaten to drag a fellow African American employee behind his car with a noose?
A. Sure, I say things like that all the time.
B. No!!!
C. What? Really? That would never happen in today’s society.
D. Maybe, it depends
The answers to question one and two above will probably surprise you. Just recently, on October 1, 2014, several African American employees of Daimler Trucking filed a complaint with a state agency in Oregon alleging hostile work environment, race discrimination, and other civil rights violations. Included in the complaint, was the allegation that a Caucasian employee actually threatened an African American employee with the noose.
The conduct described above is beyond reprehensible, but it goes to show that racism, race discrimination in the workplace, and harassment based on race are sadly very much alive and can occur in any area of the country. In Ohio, state laws like R.C. § 4112.02 make it an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer to “discharge without just cause, to refuse to hire, or otherwise to discriminate against [an employee] with respect to hire, tenure, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, or any matter directly or indirectly related to employment” based on the employee’s race, color, or ancestry. Similarly, a federal statute, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral, and other aspects of employment on the basis of race.
Furthermore, these laws are meant to prevent employers from retaliating against an employee who has engaged in protected activity. Protected activity can include opposing race discrimination or harassment based on race, or filing a charge, providing testimony, assisting in, or participating in an investigation or proceeding based on the statutes.
It should go without saying that the best answer to question three above is clearly option B, but if you chose option C, I’d give you at least partial credit if I was doing the grading. However, if you think that your boss, coworker, manager or supervisor may struggle with question three or may actually chose option A or D, the best thing you can do is seek IMMEDIATE counsel from an attorney and complain about any conduct that you have experienced related to the behavior above.
If you feel that you are being discriminated based on your race, whatever race that may be, then call the right attorney. Race discrimination includes being harassed, fired, wrongfully terminated, discriminated against, demoted, wrongfully disciplined, and denied wages. When you call the right attorney to schedule a free and confidential consultation at 866-797-6040, you will meet with a race discrimination lawyer from Spitz, The Employee’s Law Firm who will help you determine the best way to pursue your legal claims.
Disclaimer:
The materials available at the top of this race discrimination page and on this employment law website are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. If you are still asking: “What should I do …”, “I’m being discriminated against …”, “my boss is discriminating against me because …” or “How do I …”, your best option is to contact an Ohio attorney to obtain advice with respect to race discrimination questions or any particular employment law issue. Use and access to this employment law website or any of the links contained within the site do not create an attorney-client relationship. The legal opinions expressed at or through this site are the opinions of the individual lawyer and may not reflect the opinions of Spitz, The Employee’s Law Firm, attorney Brian Spitz, or any individual attorney.