Retaliation for complaining about harassment or discrimination at work is not only wrong, it is illegal. Generally, any law that makes harassment or discrimination illegal also makes it illegal for an employer to retaliate or ‘punish’ an employee for protecting him/herself under the laws. Retaliation is against the law in relation to any aspect of employment. This means that your boss cannot retaliate against you in relation to hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoffs, training, fringe benefits, or any other term or condition of employment.

Retaliation provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act or federal Title VII claims apply to all employers with 15 or more employees. Similar provisions in the Age Discrimination in Employment Act apply to employers with 20 or more employees. In addition, mostly all employers are covered under the Equal Pay Act. For federal claims, employees have 180 days to file a charge. This may be extended by state law. However, federal employees only have 45 days to contact an Equal Employment and Opportunity Counselor.

Just recently, the Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission (EEOC) brought a lawsuit against a medical transportation company for sexual harassment and retaliation. The female employee involved in the lawsuit alleged she was a victim of sexual harassment by a top manager who often made sexual comments and who demanded sexual favors in exchange for raises. After the employee complained, she was fired shortly after. If you were fired or otherwise punished after trying to protect your rights, or after participating in a discrimination proceeding, you may be a victim of retaliation. Get in touch with the group of lawyers at Law Offices of David H. Greenberg. You can reach us at 1-888-204-1014 for a free consultation. You can also visit us at www.discriminationattorney.com to learn more.