The United States has several laws that illegalize any form of discrimination in the workplace. Since America has many racial groups, the chances of an individual being discriminated against because of color/race remain quite high. This discussion focuses on the issues surrounding the problem of racial discrimination in the workplace.
Selected Type of Discrimination
The choice for this discussion is race/color discrimination. Williams (2015) defines “race discrimination” as the unfair treatment of persons because they belong to a particular race. The concept also includes any form of exploitation based on a person’s characteristics such as skin color. Individuals married to people from a different race might encounter this kind of discrimination. They might also be laid off, harassed, or mistreated.
The main law that illegalizes this kind of discrimination is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to the law, employers and leaders must never discriminate against persons based on their racial backgrounds or skin colors (Civil Rights Act of 1964). The law also protects complainants from any form of retaliation. There are specific consequences of a violation. For instance, employers can be forced to compensate claimants. Some of these payments include fringe benefits, wages, and salaries that would have been earned throughout the period. Punitive damages can also be outlined to punish employers.
Court Cases
Several court cases can be cited to describe this kind of discrimination. The first one is the Steele v Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company 323 US 192 of 1944. The background of this case is that one of the members of a majority-white labor union notified his employer to revise the collective bargaining agreement by proposing to exclude African American employees. The Supreme Court of Alabama indicated that the white employee had not committed any offense (Steele v Louisville, 1944). This was the case because there was no law supporting the interests of minorities. However, the Supreme Court judged that the union had failed to represent every individual equally.
The second case is Robinson v. Shell Oil Company, 519 US 337 of 1997. Charles Robinson had been fired by his employer, Shell Oil Company. After filing the case for being fired for being black, the claimant received an unfavorable rating from his former employer, thereby being unable to get a new job. The company indicated that Robison was not protected since he was a former employee. The court pronounced itself by stating that it was illegal for companies to retaliate against individuals who had complained about any form of discrimination (Robinson v. Shell, 1997). Although the claimant lost the case, it emerged that companies should support former employees even after filing complaints.
Employers’ Roles
Companies should implement powerful mechanisms to reduce the risk of this discrimination. For instance, they can have transparent hiring and recruitment processes (Williams, 2015). The concepts of equality and diversity can deliver positive results. They should also focus on existing laws to transform their employer-employee relations.
Discussing the Law: Concluding Remarks
The existing laws for this discrimination have been in place for many years. Over the years, the Civil Rights Act has been critical in deterring this kind of discrimination. It has guided employers to empower workers from diverse backgrounds. These policies have also informed many court decisions. This analysis shows that these laws are still applicable. They have accomplished their intended goals and objectives. This is true because many claimants have been rewarded for any form of mistreatment based on color or race. Towards the future, existing laws can be modified to present harsher penalties for employers engaging in this misbehavior.
References
Civil Rights Act of 1964 § 7, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq (1964).
Robinson v. Shell Oil Company, 519 U.S. 337 (1997).
Steele v Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company, 323 U.S. 192 (1944).
Williams, A. (2015). Modern-day racism in the workplace: Symbolic diversity or real change? From Science to Practice: Organizational Psychology Bulleting, 1(2), 6-10.