According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people who speak a language other than English at home nearly tripled from 23.1 million (approximately 1 in 10) in 1980 to 67.8 million (almost 1 in 5) in 2019. By 2050, the...more
The EEOC has recently filed an action in the Western District of Wisconsin entitled EEOC v. Baumann Farms, LLP alleging that the employer has an “English-only policy that discriminates against non-English speaking Hispanic...more
A manufacturer has “subjected its employees to an ugly mix of sexism, racism, and xenophobia and violated federal law prohibiting harassment and retaliation” the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged in a lawsuit...more
Parking Company Laid Off Workers Based on National Origin, Federal Agency Says - BALTIMORE - LAZ Parking, the second largest parking company in the United States, violated federal law when it terminated three long-time...more
The California Fair Employment and Housing Council has published new regulations that increase protections from national origin discrimination, including expanding the definition of “national origin.” The regulations will...more
As any reader of our blog knows, California employers are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of national origin (among other classifications).The Fair Employment and Housing Commission (“FEHC”) recently issued new...more
Issues related to immigration status, national security policy, and country of origin continue to be a hot topic of animated discussion at the federal level. In the midst of this national debate, California has amended its...more
The California Fair Employment and Housing Council has published an amended Regulation on national origin discrimination, which will take effect on July 1, 2018. In addition to defining "national origin" and providing...more
On May 17, 2018, California’s Fair Employment and Housing Commission (“FEHC”) published the final text of its “Regulations Regarding National Origin Discrimination” (to be codified at 2 Cal. Code Regs. §§ 11027 & 11028). The...more
Who knew you could pick up employee management lessons from the TV show Project Runway? The long running reality show, which pits multiple clothing designers against each other in a series of increasingly difficult design...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On July 17, 2017, the California Fair Employment and Housing Council (FEHC) heard public comments on its proposed regulations covering national origin discrimination under the FEHA. Discussion centered on...more
On June 22, 2017, Antonella’s Restaurant & Pizzeria settled a national origin discrimination lawsuit for $50,000 following allegations of harassment and an alleged directive to speak “English Only” in the workplace....more
There has been a lot of animated discussion in the news recently about immigration status, national security policy, and country of origin as these issues relate to federal policy. Think “travel ban” and “extreme vetting” –...more
As we observed, the heated tone of the recent presidential election poses unprecedented challenges for employers attempting to manage employee interactions in the workplace, especially when issues related to immigration and...more
Question: Our Company may implement a policy that requires employees to speak in the English language. What risks should we be aware of? ...more
For years, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has cautioned employers against adopting strict English-only rules in the workplace. The EEOC considers such policies to constitute race and/or national origin...more
Employers have long understood that rules prohibiting employees from speaking languages other than English are subject to attack by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC’s position is that a rule...more
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently filed suit against Wisconsin Plastics Inc., accusing the manufacturer of discriminating against its workers on the basis of national origin. The suit centers on the 2012...more