Labor Law Center Blog » Blog Archive

Discrimination Laws

September 27th, 2006 Posted by Nicole

Discrimination laws have been put into place in order to see that discrimination remains illegal and curtailed. The laws have only been put into place in the last 100 years or so, even though workplace discrimination has occurred for thousands of years.

The major reason for the implementation of discrimination laws is that the government believes that it needs to step in to protect the rights of individuals. Discrimination got to be so bad that many people felt that they were not offered the same job opportunities, promotions and chances that others were. They clamed that employers were acting illegally and unjustly when they discriminated against individuals.

The Civil Rights Act, which was implemented in the 1960s, stated that all people have the right to have equal access to information and opportunities. The Act further outlawed discrimination in the workplace based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age and a host of other characteristics. There have been many laws to follow suit behind the Civil Rights Act, but none of those laws have been as well known for putting a stop to workplace discrimination as the Civil Rights Act.

Thus, the dissemination laws make it illegal for any employer to make hiring, firing, promotions or other opportunities available to one type of person over another based on the person’s physical characteristics or beliefs. To do so is considered discrimination.

All places of work are required to have labor law posters placed in the workplace in a location that is clearly visible to all. These posters contain information about labor laws pertaining to the particular place of work, including information about labor laws. The labor law posters also contain contact information for state and federal agencies that oversee certain labor laws. These agencies will help employees file claims if they believe that they have been discriminated against by an employer.