Discrimination
The law prohibits discrimination in employment that is based on race, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, or reprisal for prior EEO activity. This includes sexual harassment, and creating or allowing a work atmosphere that is hostile to those of a particular protected class of employees.
Federal employees must first seek EEO counseling at the office where they work, and then go through a “formal” EEO complaint process at their employing agency. Thereafter, if not satisfied with the employer’s response to the complaint, they may take their case to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and/or to the federal courts.
- Disablilty – Do you feel that a disability has been the reason for your termination, the denial of a promotion you sought, or other employment disadvantage? An example would be: My boss knows I am a diabetic and need to take short breaks to check my blood sugar, but he puts me on assignments that make that impossible.
- Age – Do you feel that you have been denied an employment benefit due to your age? If so, why? An example would be: My boss kept suggesting that I retire, and unfairly criticized my work as being “too slow” when I am the best worker in the office.
- Sex - Do you feel that you have been denied promotion or other employee benefit due to gender or have been sexually harassed? An example would be: My supervisor kept asking me out for a date, but when he finally realized I wouldn’t he started giving me negative work performance appraisals.
Examples of cases we have handled:
A female Postal employee was harassed by a coworker, resulting in lost work time and psychiatric care, but management did little to stop the harassment. We obtained a six-figure award at EEOC and, when the Postal Service refused to pay, we filed suit in federal court and settled the case for about the same amount.
A female Navy Department employee was harassed at work by her male subordinates, but management told her she “had to live with it” and gave male employees awards for work she had done. We filed suit in federal court and obtained a six-figure settlement.
Two TSA screeners were fired for false reasons, because each had been involved in a prior discrimination complaint. We pursued cases before EEOC and won reinstatement to their jobs, back pay, compensatory damages, and attorney fees.