Employment Discrimination Lawsuits Are on the Rise

Introduction

In a difficult economy and job market, more and more job seekers and workers are accusing employers of employment discrimination. A growing number of lawsuits related to discrimination, wages, hours and benefits has risen steadily over the past few years to 99,922 in individual charge filings with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for fiscal year 2010. While some attribute this increase to the weak economy and large layoffs, others have commented that workers are becoming more aware of their rights and more confident in standing up for them.

Body

Background: Employment Discrimination laws protect employees from discrimination on the basis of age, race or nationality, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion or various other reasons. Discriminatory practices include bias in hiring, promotion, job assignment, termination or laying off workers, compensation, retaliation, retirement and various other types of harassment. Federal and state statutes make up most of the employment discrimination laws.

Some of the well-known laws are:

* Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

* The Civil Rights Act of 1991

* The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)

* The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

* The Equal Pay Act

* The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Most of these Acts are interpreted and enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which also supervises and coordinates all federal equal employment opportunity practices, policies and regulations.

Statistics: According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) 2010 statistics, employment discrimination charges climbed nationwide to a record high of 99,922 in the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2010, from 93,277 in the previous year. This resulted in an increase of 7.2 percent and the highest level of individual charge filings ever recorded in its 45-year history.

Retaliation...