Workplace Protections Under The Civil Rights Act vs. California’s FEHA

Illegal workplace discrimination and harassment is something that happens every day across the country and in the state of California. However, there are laws at both the federal and state level that can help protect California workers. The team at Davtyan Law Firm has compiled a brief summary of the similarities and differences between the two to help you understand your workplace rights. And if you have been discriminated against at your job, give us a call today to learn more about your legal options.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

When people think of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, they often think of changes like school desegregation and desegregation of public spaces. However, there is also a large chunk of the Act that revolves around rights in the workplace. These protections are found in Title VII of the Act.

Title VII regulates employment discrimination on the basis of many protected classes including race, religion, sex, national origin, and others. This means that there are certain things an employer can’t do based on a worker’s race, religion, color, etc. For example, an employer may not refuse to hire, fire, demote or take any other negative actions because of a worker’s characteristics in one of the protected classes listed above. In other words, employers can only make these kinds of decisions based on objective job criteria and not racial stereotypes or other discriminatory practices.

The protections of Title VII apply to workers that are employed by both public and private companies as long as they have more than 15 workers. Title VII is overseen and enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)

California’s state law version of an employment discrimination act is called the Fair Employment and Housing Act, or FEHA for short. This law is stricter than the federal law in that it applies to businesses as small as only five employees for the vast majority of the protections. It also applies to independent contractors, unlike Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. This Act also includes more protected classes like marital status, age over 40, pregnancy, and more. FEHA is enforced by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

Though these two acts serve the same purpose, the particulars are a little different and can be confusing to handle on your own. If you’ve experienced discrimination or harassment at your job based on one of the above-listed factors, you should contact an experienced California employment discrimination lawyer as soon as possible.

Protect Your Rights – Call Davtyan Law Firm

Unfortunately, employment discrimination and harassment occur all too frequently in California businesses. If you believe your civil rights or any other employment rights have been violated in the state of California, call Davtyan Law Firm as soon as possible. At Davtyan Law Firm we focus solely on protecting California’s workers. One of our experienced team members will talk with you to understand what happened and what legal remedies you may have moving forward.

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