Workers in the United States have various laws and protections to shield themselves from various forms of discrimination in the workplace. Specifically, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted to offer protections from workplace discrimination to American workers. Throughout the United States, including Rhode Island, there are also local and state laws in place to assure that workers are not victims of discrimination.
Recently the United States Department of Labor filed a suit against Oracle America, a unit of Oracle Corp. on the grounds of multiple instances of discrimination in the workplace, including both race discrimination and discrimination on the basis of one’s sex.
According to the suit, Oracle’s hiring process included favoring Asian workers opposed to white, Hispanic and black workers. In addition, the salaries of certain white males was believed to be higher than that of other non-white and female workers in the same position and of equal seniority. It was also announced that at the beginning of the investigation, Oracle refused to cooperate with authorities. A spokesperson for Oracle immediately dismissed the suit, claiming that it was politically motivated. It may be worth noting that Oracle has various contracts with the government totally hundreds of millions of dollars.
It is important that all American workers understand their rights as employees to avoid discrimination in the workplace. For the protection of not only a victim, but also for coworkers and future workers, is strongly advised that victims address instances of workplace discrimination promptly. Failing to do so may lead to continued workplace discrimination down the road.
Source: Reuters, “U.S. sues Oracle, alleges salary and hiring discrimination,” By Daniel Wiessner, Jan. 18, 2017