labor lawAdivision of labor law center

Because so many states lean toward broadening the coverage of employment discrimination laws in the workplace, you tend to notice those that don’t really do much more than those of the federal government. Missouri is one of these states. The biggest broadening they have in coverage is that they cover small businesses (6 or more employees) as well as large ones. In Missouri, it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of age (40-70), ancestry, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, race, religion, or sex.

Claims in Missouri can be filed with one of two agencies: the state agency, the Missouri Commission on Human Rights (MCHR), or the federal agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). These agencies will work together to resolve you claim as long as you file in one agency and request that your claim be cross-filed with the other. The MCHR can be contacted at Voice: (800) 735-2466 or TDD: (800) 735-2966 and the EEOC can be contacted at one of two offices: Kansas City, 913-551-5655 or TY: 913-551-5657 or St. Louis, 314-539-7800 or TTY: 314-539-7803.

Claims through the MCHR must be filed within 180 days of the date of the discriminatory act while you have 300 days of this act to file with the EEOC. Because of the difference in deadlines it is best to first file through the MCHR and then have them cross-file your claim with the EEOC. File early to avoid delays due to legalities in the filing process as these delays can push your past the deadline. Retaining an attorney is a big help, but is not required.

If your claim is not resolved by these agencies, you may need to pursue it in court. In both state and federal cases, you must first file with the appropriate agency and receive a release from that agency. The EEOC will release your claim by giving you one of two documents: “Dismissal and Notice of Rights,” or “Right to Sue.” A claim filed in federal court must be filed within 90 days of receiving either of the above documents. If the release document from the MCHR gives a ‘no cause’ finding, you will not be allowed to pursuer the case in court. Lawsuits filed in Missouri’s state court system have either a 90 day deadline from receipt of your claim release, or a 2 year time limit from the time the discriminatory act occurred.

Basically, employees in Missouri don’t have much more coverage according to the Missouri employment discrimination laws in the workplace. However, this is not unheard of. Missouri shares this practice with a few other states. I do wonder how long the laws in these states will remain unchanged as workers often see what is happening in other places and push to get the same protection.

Last 10 posts by Karen

• Virginia ( VA ) Employment Discrimination Law in the Workplace - August 25th, 2006
• Vermont ( VT ) Employment Discrimination Law in the Workplace - August 25th, 2006
• Utah ( UT ) Employment Discrimination Law in the Workplace - August 25th, 2006
• Texas ( TX ) Employment Discrimination Law in the Workplace - August 25th, 2006
• Tennessee ( TN ) Employment Discrimination Law in the Workplace - August 25th, 2006
• South Carolina ( SC ) Employment Discrimination Law in the Workplace - August 24th, 2006
• Pennsylvania ( PA ) Employment Discrimination Law in the Workplace - August 24th, 2006
• Oregon ( OR ) Employment Discrimination Law in the Workplace - August 24th, 2006
• Oklahoma ( OK ) Employment Discrimination Law in the Workplace - August 24th, 2006
• Ohio ( OH ) Employment Discrimination Law in the Workplace - August 24th, 2006