Riverside National Origin Discrimination Lawyers
Protecting Workers from National Origin Discrimination in California Workplaces
If you work in California, you are guaranteed protection against discrimination in the workplace. California law protects many different categories of discrimination, including discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and national origin. Although California presents itself as a modern state with progressive laws and culture, workplace discrimination is still a very real problem. Many employees are treated differently because of how they look, how they speak, or where they’re from. In any form, such discrimination in the workplace is both unacceptable and illegal.
If you have been fired, passed over for a job or promotion, or subjected to harassment or other discriminatory conduct in the workplace, you are not alone. You have the right to protect yourself and fight back. We’re here to help. The zealous workers’ rights attorneys at Ochoa & Calderón are ready to get you the compensation you are owed and the justice you deserve.
What is National Origin Discrimination?
California and federal laws both prohibit discrimination in the workplace based on an employee’s national origin. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against someone on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin, as does California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).
National origin discrimination means discrimination based on an employee’s actual or perceived nationality or ethnicity. Discrimination may take the form of discrimination or harassment based on an employee’s nationality, country of origin, accent, religion, ethnic background, or other proxy for national origin.
Discrimination is unlawful even when it is targeting the wrong ethnicity–the law does not require bigots to be accurate in their bigotry. Discrimination may even involve targeting an employee for dating or marrying someone of a different ethnicity.
What Counts as Unlawful Discrimination or Harassment?
National origin discrimination can take many forms, and it’s not always clear when it crosses the line into unlawful discrimination. Certainly, you have a claim if you’ve been fired because of your ethnicity or national origin. Wrongful termination is only one form of discrimination, however.
The seasoned workplace discrimination attorneys at Ochoa & Calderón can help you fight national origin discrimination in any form, including:
- Wrongful termination based on national origin
- Passing up for a promotion
- Denial of a bonus or other benefits
- Unequal pay
- Transfer to a less desirable position or location
- Unequal hiring, or unequal imposition of layoffs, based on national origin
- Use of differing standards for hiring, promotion, or discipline based on employees’ national origin
- Supervisors fostering or refusing to take proper steps to stop a hostile work environment caused by, for example:
- Racial slurs
- Derogatory comments
- Racial jokes
- Racial cartoons, memes, or other pictures
- Use of offensive stereotypes
- Exclusion from work events
- Retaliation for speaking up about unlawful discrimination or harassment
Employers may be liable for national origin discrimination in several circumstances:
- The employer subjects the employee to an adverse employment action based on their actual or perceived national origin or the national origin of their romantic partner
- The employee’s supervisor engages in discriminatory or harassing conduct
- The employee’s coworkers create a hostile environment through discriminatory or harassing conduct and the employer failed to take corrective action even though they knew or should have known about the conduct
Talk to an experienced workplace discrimination attorney if you believe you’ve suffered national origin discrimination in your California workplace.
National Origin Discrimination Attorneys Serving Riverside and Southern California
If you believe you may have been the target of national origin discrimination in the workplace in violation of California state or federal law, reach out to Ochoa & Calderon for a free consultation. We take appropriate cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning we only charge a fee if we are successful on your behalf. Our fees come as a percentage of the amount we recover for you. You’ve got nothing to lose by calling now, but you could miss out on enforcing your legal rights if you wait too long. Call us at 951-901-4444 in Riverside or throughout Southern California at 844-401-0750. Our lawyers are ready to fight for you.
