While almost all states provide some sort of protection for workers belonging to a protected class (whether age, sex, race, disability, or other characteristic), the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) offers some of the strongest protections for workers in the country. The MHRA is one of the key tools that the employment attorneys at Schaefer Halleen have to hold employers accountable—and it just got stronger. On May 15, 2024, … [Read more...]
Relying on the Statute of Limitations: Employees Beware
Employees who believe they have claims against their employers or former employers need to consider how long they can wait before filing a formal claim, either in court or with an agency like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR), or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In discrimination or whistleblower cases, the statute of limitations (SOL) typically begins to run … [Read more...]
Attorneys can help you with the EEOC
If you find yourself in the difficult and demoralizing position of experiencing discrimination or retaliation in the workplace, you have options for exercising your rights and pursuing claims against your employer. One of these options is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”)[1]. The EEOC helps enforce federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee because of the individual’s race, … [Read more...]
Federal Laws that Prohibit Employment Discrimination
Federal employment discrimination laws, and related retaliation laws, date back to the post-Civil War Reconstruction period. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was the first federal law to prohibit race discrimination in employment. Five years later, the government passed the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 to enforce the provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment and provide redress for discriminatory action taken by the government, but few people brought claims … [Read more...]
Vaccination Mandates Test the Limits of Religious Exemption
Broad vaccine mandates by federal and state governments, large employers, and the health care industry have led to vigorous opposition from some employees claiming a sincerely held religious belief justifies exempting them from any vaccine requirement. A cottage industry has emerged in the form of religious leaders providing written support for the exemption, often for a fee. Employers are therefore required, in a manner never … [Read more...]
