San Bernardino Race Discrimination Lawyer

San Bernardino Workplace Race Discrimination Lawyer

Racial discrimination in the workplace is against the law. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal for an employer to engage in any discriminatory behavior that is motivated by race. Unfortunately, even though laws banning this conduct have been on the books for more than half a century, the problem still persists. If you live or work in the San Bernardino, California, area and believe that you have been the victim of workplace discrimination, you don’t have to accept it. A workplace race discrimination attorney can help you fight back.

What Is Race Discrimination in the Workplace?

Workplace race discrimination occurs when an applicant or employee is treated unfavorably because of their race, skin color or perceived race. However, discriminatory behavior does not have to be because of the employee’s own race. If a worker receives unfavorable treatment because of their association, relationship or marriage to a person of a certain race, that is also considered racial discrimination. In many cases, racial discrimination involves a victim and an offender of different races. However, it is also possible for an employee to be racially discriminated against by someone of the same race.

Workplace Race Discrimination Statistics

How common is race discrimination in the workplace? The statistics make it clear that it remains a serious problem:

Typically, applicants with names perceived as white get one callback for every 10 resumes that they submit. In contrast, job seekers with African-American sounding names get one callback for every 15 resumes.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has received more than 45,000 complaints related to racial discrimination since 2011.
In the average year, 35 percent of the employment discrimination complaints received by the EEOC revolve around racial discrimination.

What Are Some Examples of Race Discrimination in the Workplace?

Thanks to a combination of powerful federal and state laws, it is illegal for an employer to discriminate against people due to their race when hiring, firing, compensating, taking disciplinary action, distributing benefits, or making decisions regarding promotions or job training opportunities. What does race discrimination in the workplace really look like? It can take many forms:

• You are a qualified applicant, but you are not hired because you are deemed a poor “cultural fit” or because a large client has displayed discomfort when working with employees who seem to come from racial backgrounds similar to yours.
• You are passed over for promotion or training opportunities in favor of workers of other races who have less seniority and slighter qualifications.
• You are paid less than an employee of a different race who occupies the same position, has the same responsibilities, and whose tenure with the company is equal to or shorter than yours.
• You experience microaggressions in the form of inappropriate comments or jokes that indicate an implicit racial bias.
• Your manager tells you to ignore harassing or discriminatory behavior while the perpetrator is not corrected or disciplined.
• You are subjected to disciplinary measures when others who do the same thing go unchallenged or receive lighter discipline.
• Your employer has a policy or practice that applies to everyone but disproportionately impacts the employment of those of certain races.

Do I Need to Hire a Workplace Race Discrimination Lawyer?

Sadly, even employers armed with good intentions and antidiscrimination policies aren’t always doing enough to protect their employees from race discrimination at work. Further complicating the matter, few employers will admit that race influenced their behavior when faced with a claim of racial discrimination. Many will criticize the employee’s performance or qualifications to rationalize or camouflage their own unlawful actions. As a result, proving a claim of race discrimination can be challenging. Hiring an experienced workplace race discrimination lawyer with the knowledge and resources to build a persuasive case can be vital to waging a successful battle for the compensation that you deserve.

When you need the services of a skilled San Bernardino workplace race discrimination attorney, reach out to the expert team at Rizio Lipinsky Heiting. Proudly serving all of California, we thrive on securing top results for employees. Contact us today to request a free consultation.