Newark is home to an incredibly diverse population. Unfortunately, some employers don’t respect that diversity. That’s where the employment attorneys of NJ Employment Lawyers, LLC can help. If an employer has discriminated against you, your rights have been violated, and you may be eligible for compensation.
Everyone deserves to be treated equally, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or faith. If you are the victim of workplace discrimination, you need help from employment law attorneys at NJ Employment Lawyers. Contact us today to find out whether you are eligible to receive compensation.
Protected Classes
Employment discrimination applies whenever an employee is hired, fired, or treated differently based on their inclusion in a protected class. New Jersey law recognizes nine protected classes:
- Race
- Skin color
- National origin
- Religion, including lack thereof
- Gender
- Sexual orientation
- Gender expression
- Gender identity
- Disability status, including pregnancy
An employer may not treat two people differently based on these characteristics. If they do, the victim can file a lawsuit against them for discrimination.
Age Discrimination
Furthermore, there are limits on age discrimination as well. Employers cannot refuse to hire or fire someone based on age as long as they are over 18 or under 70. Similarly, age cannot be a determining factor in job assignments, promotions, salaries, raises, or other benefits.
These rules apply equally to businesses, whether they are unionized or not. Unions in New Jersey may not negotiate age discrimination into any contracts.
Age discrimination can be difficult to identify. But one hint you should watch for is if an interviewer asks your age or date of birth. The latter may be required when you complete paperwork once you have gotten a job, but it should only be requested only after you are hired.
If you suspect you are being discriminated against because of your age, contact an employment law attorney at our law firm immediately. We are familiar with Newark businesses that have previously been accused of discrimination and can act quickly.
Discriminatory Actions
Discrimination rears its ugly head in several different ways. Sometimes it is subtle, and at other times it is quite obvious. You may not even realize you are being discriminated against if you don’t know what signs to look for.
Pay Discrimination
One common form of discrimination involves uneven salaries or pay rates. A business might consistently pay women or people of color less. Often these discrepancies go unnoticed because most employees don’t discuss their pay.
The best way to ensure you aren’t a victim of pay discrimination is to discuss your pay openly with other employees, especially those in similar roles who have worked at the business for a similar period of time.
Your employer might try to dissuade these conversations, but the right to discuss pay with other employees is protected by federal law. And if you are punished for discussing pay, that is illegal retaliation. You should report that violation to our employment law attorneys immediately.
Advancement Discrimination
This is similar to pay discrimination, except that differences in pay are a result of position within the company. When people of a protected class are denied advancement opportunities, their pay naturally falls behind others.
Advancement discrimination is more subtle but just as damaging and has roughly the same results. Unlike pay discrimination, you can’t easily identify disparities. However, with some investigation, our attorneys can identify patterns in promotions and prove discrimination.
Hiring Discrimination
Another common form of discrimination is hiring discrimination. An offending company might refuse to hire a person from a protected class or only hire them for lesser positions.
Typically, this isn’t a company-wide policy but rather due to the discrimination of an individual with hiring authority. Unfortunately, many companies will defend that individual even when state and federal law are being violated.
Usually, hiring discrimination targets protected classes like race or gender because identifying something like sexual orientation isn’t likely during the hiring process.
However, if a hiring manager asks questions that seem designed to identify whether you are in a protected class, you should note what is said and speak to a lawyer at NJ Employment Lawyers immediately. We’ll take the appropriate actions to protect you if your fears prove true.
Harassment
Probably the worst type of discrimination involves harassment. If you are harassed for being part of a protected class, contact our law firm immediately. We will document the harassment and help you safely inform your employer.
If everything goes well, your employer will stop the harassment and punish the perpetrator. However, if that doesn’t happen, you have grounds for a lawsuit.
Contact Newark Discrimination Attorneys at NJ Employment Lawyers Today
If you have been discriminated against at your Newark place of employment, contact NJ Employment Lawyers immediately to speak to an attorney who will fight to protect your rights.