Enforcement Agencies The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is an agency responsible for enforcing federal laws that prohibit employers from discriminating against job applicants and employees because of a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. All of the laws enforced by EEOC, except for the Equal Pay Act, … [Read more...]
8 Frequently Asked Questions About Disability Discrimination in the Workplace
What is disability discrimination? The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) prohibit employers from discriminating against qualified individuals on the basis of disability in all employment practices, including job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. Do I have a disability? Under the ADA, an "individual … [Read more...]
Minnesota Supreme Court Strengthens Protections from Disability Discrimination
The Minnesota Supreme Court just held that Minnesota’s workers’ compensation laws do not bar Minnesota workers from bringing state disability discrimination claims against their employers. In so ruling, the Minnesota Supreme Court overruled its own decision from 1980, Karst v. F.C. Hayer Co. – a decision that for the last three decades had been used by employers to avoid reasonably accommodating employees with disabilities and avoid being held … [Read more...]
Understanding Mental Health Disabilities
By Lawrence P. Schaefer | An article in the Minnesota Star Tribune today reported that the Minnesota Health Action Group, a consortium of Minnesota business leaders, called on fellow employers to upgrade their employee benefits packages and “workplace attitudes” to improve the treatment of depression and reduce the state’s rising suicide rate. We are in the midst of a growing mental health treatment crisis in this country, and it is … [Read more...]
The Effect of Implicit Bias in the Workplace
By Lawrence P. Schaefer | I’m very privileged to have been asked by Minnesota Lawyer’s Mutual to facilitate a panel discussion on July 16th on “implicit bias,” where vignettes involving indulgence of subtle bias will be portrayed by local actors to help the defense bar understand how implicit bias works. I’ve ben told I’m the first “plaintiffs lawyer” asked to present to this group of defense lawyers. The subject of implicit bias is … [Read more...]
