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Austin Race Discrimination Lawyers

Austin Race Discrimination Lawyers: Protecting Your Rights in the Workplace

Race discrimination is unfortunate in workplaces nationwide, including in Austin, Texas. Despite federal and state laws prohibiting such discrimination, many employees still face unfair treatment based on race or national origin. Suppose you have experienced racial discrimination in the workplace. In that case, it is crucial to seek the assistance of experienced Austin race discrimination lawyers who can help protect your rights and hold employers accountable for their actions. 

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Table of Contents

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Understanding Racial Discrimination

Racial discrimination involves treating employees differently based on their physical, cultural, or ancestral characteristics associated with a particular race. This can include skin color, facial features, hair textures or styles, and even skin pigmentation, complexion, tone, or shade. Racial discrimination can occur between different races or within a single race.

Discrimination can take various forms, including overt acts such as racist slurs, offensive jokes, wrongful termination based on race, refusal to hire someone of a certain race, paying lower wages to employees of a particular race, providing disparate benefits, and segregating employees or applicants based on race. It is important to note that all forms of racial discrimination are illegal in Texas, and employers who engage in such practices can face legal consequences.

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Laws Protecting Against Race Discrimination

Both federal and state laws protect against racial discrimination in the workplace. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 explicitly prohibits employment decisions based on race, including hiring, firing, promotion, demotion, compensation, and other terms of employment. This law applies to employers with at least 15 employees, government entities, employment agencies, labor organizations, and training programs.

Title VII also prohibits practices or policies that may hurt a protected group, even if the policies appear neutral. Harassment based on race is also illegal under this law. It is essential to understand that victims of racial discrimination are protected from retaliation for making a complaint, although, unfortunately, retaliation still occurs in some cases.

Identifying Different Forms of Race Discrimination

Race discrimination can manifest in various ways and is not always overt or obvious. While some instances may be clear-cut, such as racist remarks or refusal to hire based on race, discrimination can be more subtle and masked in other employment actions. Layoffs, terminations, promotions, demotions, and suspensions can all be vehicles for race discrimination.

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