Education for Justice                  FACT SHEET E-10                       Fall 2009

 

DISCRIMINATION

and

HARASSMENT AT WORK

 

 

WHAT TYPES OF DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT ARE ILLEGAL?

No one can treat you differently or harass you at your job because of your

  • Race
  • Sex
  • Color
  • Creed
  • Religion
  • National Origin (but they can ask for proof that you are allowed to work in the U.S.)
  • Marital Status
  • Getting public assistance
  • Disability
  • Age
  • Sexual Orientation

 

An employer cannot refuse to hire you, pay you less, give you different work rules or conditions, harass you, or demote or fire you for these reasons.

 

 

WHAT ARE COMMON EXAMPLES OF DISCRIMINATION and HARASSMENT?

  • Promotions are only offered to white employees, even though employees of other races have the same training, experience, and work performance.
  • At work, your co-workers call you bad racial names.  Your supervisor knows about it but does nothing.
  • Your supervisor asks you for a date or says personal or sexual things to you.  You don’t want to have a personal relationship and don’t like the comments.  The supervisor tells you that if you don’t cooperate you won’t get a raise.
  • Your employer will not promote married women because she or he thinks they will probably get pregnant and leave.
  • Your manager yells at you, and treats you worse than other employees because you do not speak English very well.
  • Your employer demotes you when you are 56, after working at the job for 20 years because you are “too old to learn new things.”

 

 

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I AM BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST OR HARASSED?

If you are being discriminated against or harassed at work because of your race, sex, religion etc., you should tell the person harassing you to stop.  If it continues, or if you are not comfortable asking them to stop, you need to report it to the supervisor or Human Resources.  Do this in writing.  Keep a copy.

 

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT?

·        Write down things that happen to you that do not feel right.

·        Write down the date and time, and the names of anyone else that was there.

·        Take notes of comments made by, and conversations with, your supervisor.

·        Report your worries about discrimination and harassment to your supervisor in writing.

 

 

CAN I GET IN TROUBLE IF I COMPLAIN?

No.  Employers can’t get back at you (retaliate) if you have made a good faith claim that you are a victim of illegal discrimination or harassment.

 

Sometimes it is hard to say what is discrimination or harassment, and what is not.  If you feel you may have been discriminated against or harassed, call one of the agencies below.

 

A legal claim for discrimination or harassment has to be filed within a certain period of time after it happened.  The time periods are short.  Call right away or you may lose your chance to protect your rights.

 

 

Minnesota Department of Human Rights

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

190 East 5th St., Suite 700

330 South 2nd Ave., Suite 430

St. Paul, MN  55101

Minneapolis, MN  55401

 

 

Phone:  (800) 657-3704

Phone:  (612) 335-4040

TTY:  (651) 296-1283

TTY:  (612) 335-4045

www.humanrights.state.mn.us

www.eeoc.gov

 

 

 

 

Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights

 

City Hall, Room 239

 

350 South 5th St

 

Minneapolis, MN  55415

 

 

 

Phone:  (612) 673-3012

 

TTY:  (612) 673-2044

 

www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/citywork/civil-rights/commission.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minneapolis Legal Aid – CLE

MN Legal Services Coalition

2324 University Avenue W. – Suite 101B

St. Paul, MN 55114

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