Non-Jew Discrimination At Work
I work for a private, family owned Jewish (hasidic) company. There’s 3 non Jewish employees in the office, myself included. There’s plenty of incidents in which the Jewish employees are treated differently at the office. For example, everyone is allowed to leave early on Fridays, except the 3 non Jewish employees. Everyone gets multiple days off (due to religious holidays) with the exception of the 3 non Jewish employees who must come in. Everyone works on salary, except the 3 of us who work for hourly wage. Most recent case- during a snow storm all office employees were allowed to leave 5 hours early, except for the 3 of us who were allowed to leave only 2 hours early. I should add the Jewish employees commute from a further distance, while the 3 of us live closer to work. Does it matter? Shouldn’t all rules apply equally across the board? This sort of thing happens all the time. Is this okay, since the company is privately owned?
Find A Lawyer Are you dealing with discrimination, harassment, retaliation, work injuries, wrongful termination or other problems at work that you know are wrong and need them to stop? Click here to search LegalMatch. Act now to get a consultation with qualified employment law attorney in your area before it's too late to file a claim.
2 Responses to Non-Jew Discrimination At Work
Leave a Reply
What @jurydoc said about 15 employees is true, but states laws employment laws also exist. Here is how to file a charge with the EEOC. http://www.eeoc.gov/employees/howtofile.cfm There is a link to the online assessment form which will tell you if you can file a claim with them. If not, like I said, go to your state department of labor. They should have a website.
Also, I would document everything you just stated. Here is how to document problems at work.
Discrimination laws apply only to companies that employ at least 15 people. If your employer does, then s/he is required not to discriminate on the basis of religion. That doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t give the Jewish people their time off, but if he does, then YOU must be accommodated on time off for YOUR religious observances in like manner. For example,if you are a Christian and are not permitted Sundays off to observe your sabbath and the Jewish employees are accommodated for observing their religious sabbath, this could amount to discrimination. The incidents you have described do not yet rise to a prime facie case of discrimination, but IF your employer employs at least 15 people, it might be worth getting counsel from your local EEOC office.