Quietly and confidently, IBM has stood up for social change and progress. The company is supportive of same sex unions, especially in famously homophobic areas of the world like North Korea. The powerful corporation was key in instituting racial diversity in its workforce long before it was politically or culturally popular, its Equal Opportunity Policy remaining virtually unchanged since 1953. International Business Machines has been a strong proponent in putting women in places of power. One of the lead designers on the original IBM PC—which, along with the automobile and airplane stands as one of the greatest consumer inventions of the 20th century—was female.
While the company’s reputation as a computing powerhouse has been overshadowed by Microsoft and then Apple in the past twenty years (IBM left the personal computing almost a decade ago), it remains a singular voice in computing, and in progressive social policy.
IBM’s voice got even louder back in April. IBM has been a longtime sponsor of golf’s Masters Tournament, held at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. The Club has always admitted IBM executives as members—until IBM hired its first female CEO, Ginni Rometty, in January 2012. Many thought that the Club should admit Rometty as a member, finally divesting itself of its historically male-only policy. The Club refused, garnering a media firestorm and threats to IBM’s sponsorship of the Masters. The Augusta was famously silent in defending its policies—until today.
Women admitted to the Augusta National Golf Club
In an about-face, former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and high-octane businesswoman Darla Moore, were admitted as the first two women to be granted membership to the August Club. Strangely enough, the Club has made no decision as of yet to admit Ginni Rometty (IBM continues to sponsor the Masters).
Golf and Social Progress
The Augusta Club’s longstanding sexist policies symbolize one of the ugly truths about golf: it is the United States’ least progressive sport. During Tiger Woods’ peak in the late 1990s, some clubs decided to admit minority members for the first time—a full thirty-five years after Alabama schools were integrated. As much as the PGA touts its progressive policies, golf remains glaringly behind the curve in terms of social progress.
Is It Legal for Golf Clubs to Discriminate?
The Augusta National Golf Club’s policy of not admitting women is, according to U.S. law, legal and legitimate. However, in many segments of our national culture, especially the workplace, discrimination is highly illegal. If you feel you have been discriminated against due to gender, race, sexual orientation, or religious belief, call the Law Offices of Valli, Kane and Vagnini to speak with a trained professional.
Does Lack of State Level Prohibition Allow Discrimination in Texas?
Texas civil rights and discrimination attorneys point out areas in the law where Texas civil rights and discrimination protection falls through the cracks. Discrimination may have different motivations such as race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation and disability. Texans are not all protected equally when it comes to civil rights violations and protection from discrimination. Examples include:
Public Accommodations
Most people agree that public accommodations should be free from policies that discriminate. Texas has no statewide law prohibiting such discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, or physical handicap. Some local governments have passed ordinances prohibiting discrimination in public places. This has resulted in confusion as to what is legal from one municipality to the next. Texas civil rights and discrimination attorneys claim this highlights the need for statewide legislation.
Discrimination in the Workplace
According to state law in Texas, civil rights in the workplace exist in many areas including employees’ race, age, gender, religion, national origin or disability. However, Texas civil rights and discrimination state law does not extent to sexual orientation. Texas civil rights and discrimination attorneys maintain that policies that favor non-discrimination are good business.
Discrimination in Education
According to Texas civil rights and discrimination laws there are no specific prohibitions stopping a public educational institution from discriminating on account of race, ethnicity, color, gender, disability, sexual orientation, disability, religion or national origin of the student or the parent of the student. There are laws in place prohibiting student on student harassment covered under bullying codes. However, there are no similar laws covering discrimination and harassment originating from employees of the educational institution.
Discrimination from Insurance Companies
Insurance companies are prohibited from discrimination because of race, ethnicity, color, gender, disability, marital status, disability, religion, geographic location or national origin. However, Texas civil rights and discrimination laws make no provision for the prohibition based on sexual orientation and sexual identity. This discrimination can take form of higher rates, refusal to insure, limited coverage, extent of coverage and nature of coverage.
Since in Texas, civil rights and discrimination protection does no extent to sexual orientation and transgender people when it comes to insurance coverage, many insurance companies deny coverage for procedures related to transgender and sexual orientation issues. Many are refused coverage for procedures because of their transgender and sexual orientation status and are required to put off the procedure or pay for it out of pocket when it should have covered by the insurance premium to begin with.
Have You Been Discriminated Against at Work?
It is one thing to convince yourself that it was unjust that you lost your job. Self-justification is one of the strongest human drives. It is tough thing to admit that maybe your performance was not up to par. It is another thing to think that an employer fired you for illegal reasons such as discrimination.
A team of New York discrimination attorneys point out that if you were fired for illegal reasons, you may be able to sue the employer for compensation, for other related losses and to prevent them from doing this to other employees. These same New York discrimination attorneys say that employees need to learn their rights.
Know Your Rights
Under federal law and, as New York discrimination attorneys will inform you, under New York law, you cannot be terminated or suffer any adverse employment action because of race discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, disability discrimination, age discrimination, discrimination due to sexual orientation, discrimination due to gender or discrimination due to membership in any protected group. If you believe that you have been fired, demoted or overlooked for a promotion as a result of discrimination and you are in the area, contact New York discrimination attorneys to discuss you options.
Employer Retaliation
Employers have been known to fire employees for simply mentioning perceived discrimination or complaining about discrimination. If an employer has done any of this, they have broken the law. Complaining about discrimination in the workplace is your right and should be able to talk about it without fear of being terminated.
Whistleblower Revenge
If you have reported discrimination, threatening behavior or illegal behavior by your employer and have been fired or retaliated against, you may want to explore your legal options. If you are in the area, call you New York discrimination attorneys to schedule a consultation.
Should I Hire an Attorney?
If you believe your employer illegally discriminated against you as an employee, you can proceed to bring charges against the employer without an attorney. The process is very involved. It can be confusing and quite overwhelming. You can be reasonably certain that when you bring charges, you will be confronted by the employer’s attorneys. Since the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces the job discrimination laws, sometimes the person who brings the charge is under the mistaken impression that the EEOC is in their corner and will help them with their case. In fact, the EEOC’s job is to investigate the charge and be neutral in their finding of facts. It is wise to seek council. If you are in the area, contact your New York discrimination attorneys who can help you in drafting and submitting your discrimination charge.
Are you protected from discrimination on an Indian Reservation?
Broadly speaking, federal protections against discrimination in the workplace serve Americans living in all 50 states. However, discrimination rules can be quite different if that discrimination took place on an Indian reservation. Many of these reservations exist as entities separate from the states, pursuant to federal law and treaties between the reservation and the federal government. As a result, victims of workplace discrimination on reservations often have to go through a different process in order to seek recourse.
While Congress does have the power to create and enforce federal law on Indian reservations, Congress also has the power to exempt Indian reservations from those same laws. For example, Indian reservations are exempt from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. These two acts combined comprise main sources of federal law governing race, gender, and disability discrimination in the workplace.
However, if you are a victim of discrimination on an Indian reservation, you may still have recourse. Some reservations voluntarily allow themselves to be regulated by the federal statutes from which they would otherwise be exempt, and even more reservations enter into agreements with the states in which they reside and voluntarily subject themselves to applicable state law protections for workers. You’re starting point, and best bet for a favorable outcome regarding your discrimination claim, is to become familiar with the constitution and laws of your particular reservation; see what, if any, local reservation laws have been violated; and investigate what administrative and judicial venues exist under reservation law. Often, a reservation will have its own administrative and judicial systems, with investigators, judges, and other judicial officials, to resolve employment disputes.
Retaliation – Employees Should Not Fear Reporting Discrimination –
Employees who have been discriminated or harassed against in the workplace should not be hesitant to report these claims. Retaliation laws are in place to protect the employee from being harassed or targeted after they exercise their right to report discrimination. When an employee reports discriminatory acts to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, their respective state equivalent, the Department of Labor, or even internally to their employer, retaliation laws are in place to stop the employer from taking adverse action against the wronged employee.
Retaliation laws protect against all forms of retaliation. Retaliatory actions include, but are not limited to:
– Disparate Hiring Practices
– Unwarranted Firing
– Pay Reductions
– Change in Job Assignments
– Promotion Discrepancies
– Layoffs
– Unwarranted Training Procedures
– Denial of Fringe Benefits
– Alteration of any other Term or Condition of Employment.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is a federal agency in place to protect the rights of employees. It is “an unlawful employment practice for an employer to discriminate against any of his employees…because the employee has opposed any practice made unlawful employment practice by Title VII.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-3(a). EEOC Retaliation laws bar the employer from exercising any retaliatory acts, even retroactively, against an employee after they file an EEOC Charge of Discrimination. Employees should not fear reporting discrimination because the EEOC is an agency to rectify these wrongs.
Most states have a functional state equivalent to the EEOC and this is another avenue for discriminated employees to use to remedy the harassment they have endured. In New York specifically, New York Labor Law Article 20-C § 740 is in place to forbid an employer from taking retaliatory actions against an employee who reports discrimination in the work place. New York employees have protection at both the Federal and State level when exercising their right to be free of discriminatory actions taken by their employer. For employees working in New York City, they even have a third layer of protection under the New York City Human Rights Law.
Employees do not have to report acts of discrimination to one of these agencies in order to be afforded protection under these anti-retaliation laws. An employee is safeguarded against retaliation in any form when they complain about discrimination or harassment directly to their employer by complaining to Human Resources, management or some equivalent. It is vital, however, when complaining directly to your employer, that the aggrieved employee document their complaint of discrimination or harassment in some manner, whether through a formal document, email, or in the presence of a trusted witness.
For an employee to prove they have been retaliated against, they only need to show that the retaliation has produced “an injury or harm.” Burlington Northern & Sante Fe Ry. V. White, 548 U.S. 53, 67 (2006). The injury or harm requirement must however stem from or convey a feeling or perception of discrimination. Employees should not be weary of reporting acts of retaliation, but should exercise their right to be free of these acts. Retaliation can also occur if someone has been negatively affected by your report of discrimination. The EEOC’s Retaliation laws protect the rights of third–parties, even though they have not made claims of discrimination themselves. Thompson v. North American Stainless, LP (2011). For a more detailed discussion on how third-parties are protected by the law, check back to see further blog discussion on our website.