The Fair Employment Law in Massachusetts declares that it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, age, ancestry, or disability.
It Is Unlawful:
- to print or circulate any advertisement or use any application form which directly or indirectly specifies any limitation on the basis of race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, age, ancestry, or disability.
- to discharge or refuse to hire any individual on the basis of their race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, age, ancestry, or disability.
- to discriminate against any individual in matters relating to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of their race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, age, ancestry, or disability.
- to require a woman to leave her job at some arbitrary stage in her pregnancy or refuse to let her return to work until a specified time set by the employer.
- to refuse to grant a female employee at least eight weeks leave for purposes of childbirth or to treat her absence differently than any other absence due to disability.
- to discharge or refuse to hire any person because of their failure to furnish information concerning admission to a center for the treatment of mentally ill persons.
- to discriminate against a job applicant for failure to furnish information, written or oral, concerning: A) an arrest, detention, or disposition regarding a violation of law in which no conviction resulted; B) a first conviction for any of the following misdemeanors: driving under the influence, simple assault, speeding, minor traffic violations, disturbance of the peace; or C) conviction for a misdemeanor where the date of the conviction or end of period of incarceration, if any, occurred more than five years prior to the employment application, and the applicant has not been convicted of any offense within the five years immediately before the date of application.
Most noteworthy, the Target corporation has a long history of accusations of race discrimination against employees. In 2007, Target agreed to pay a total of $510,000 to 4 African American employees who were denied jobs as assistant store managers in 2000 and 2001. As part of the decree, Target also agreed to revise its document retention policies; provide training to supervisors on employment discrimination and record-keeping; report on hiring decisions; and post a notice about the consent decree to employees in its store and offices.
Systemic racism is prevalent in many large box retailers, Target, Amazon and Walmart and other retail outlets.
If you believe you have been a victim of discrimination, contact the Law Offices of Renee Lazar at 978-844-4095 to schedule a FREE case evaluation.