StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Discrimination in the Work Place - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Discrimination in the Work Place" presents a racially effectively resolved discrimination case. Through the experience of African Americans who were subjected to discrimination, the court could justify filing charges against employers who remain indifferent in violating the EEOC law…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.7% of users find it useful
Discrimination in the Work Place
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Discrimination in the Work Place"

Discrimination in the Work Place Introduction The article en d “Black Steelworker Awarded $25 Million After Years Of Racial Harassment” written by Claire Gordon and published online on the AoL Jobs website on the 14th of June 2012 proffered pertinent issues relative to the legal avenues that must be taken by workers who are being discriminated in the work setting. As disclosed, Elijah Turley, a worker at the Arcelor Mittal steel plant reportedly located in the upstate portion of New York, was repeatedly harassed and discriminated against for being black. The report revealed that “he was a broken man after enduring three years of racist taunts inside the Buffalo-area factory's walls. Earlier this week, a federal jury unanimously awarded him a whopping $25 million as a result” (Gordon par. 1). The discrimination in the work place specifically focuses on race and color discrimination ("Section 15…”). One firmly shares the contention that discrimination in the work setting must be immediately addressed through the proper legal avenues. Issues Discussed The discrimination case that was legally filed in court was a racial harassment lawsuit, which, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), reveals that “racial harassment cases at the EEOC have surged since the early 1990s from 3,075 in Fiscal Year 1991 to nearly 7,000 in FY 2007. In addition to investigating and voluntarily resolving tens of thousands of race discrimination cases out of court, the EEOC has sued more than three dozen employers this decade in racial harassment cases involving nooses” (“Conectiv and Subcontractors…” par. 9). Nooses were reportedly being hanged with a stuffed monkey hanged on it and placed in Turley’s car. Likewise, Gordon also noted that his lawyer, Ryan Mills, openly relayed in court during the trial that “his bosses sat by while his co-workers harassed him, writing "KKK" and "King Kong Lives" on the walls, playing howling animal noises over the loudspeaker, hanging a stuffed monkey with a noose around its neck from his car, and even threatening his life” (Gordon par. 2). Due to the seemingly indifferent stance perpetuated by Turley’s immediate bosses, the amount of compensatory damages was substantially increased. As emphasized by the EEOC, “[e]mployers risk intervention by the EEOC when supervisors ignore racially offensive working conditions and fail to take prompt and effective remedial action to stop it” (“Conectiv and Subcontractors…” par. 4). It was allegedly indicated from Gordon’s discourse that “its executives went to great lengths to stop it, even suspending the guilty employees. Mills said the evidence unequivocally showed "a work environment that went beyond harassment" (Gordon par. 3). From the facts disclosed in the article, it was evident that through a thorough examination rendered from court proceedings, the results and the verdict of awarding a substantial amount in damages to Turley was only enough proof that workers and management at Arcelor Mittal were guilty, as charged. The three years of agony and repeated prejudice and discrimination that Turley endured in the work setting had to be stopped through using the proper avenue to file charges of racial discrimination and harassment. Every organization’s human resources department is well aware of the laws and regulations that promote equal employment opportunities that explicitly discourage discrimination through Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), to wit: This law makes it illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. The law also makes it illegal to retaliate against a person because the person complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit. The law also requires that employers reasonably accommodate applicants' and employees' sincerely held religious practices, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the employer's business. (“Laws Enforced…” par. 1) Observance and adherence to this law is crucial to ensure that the working environment is conducive for productivity and performance to all employees, regardless of age, race, or educational background (Miller; Martires and Fule). Having been discriminated on the basis of race, Turley was subjected to undue stress, anxiety, and even fear, which hampered his ability to perform his responsibilities in the unjust work environment. Since his own supervisors and bosses could not make the other workers stop harassing Turley, it was likewise indicative that the organization does not have an effective set of policies and procedures, as well as a code of ethics, discipline and behavior, which is supported by the EEOC law. The torment and supposed barrage of verbal and behavioral cruelties continued unabated for three years (Gordon). Regrettably, the Civil Rights Act that should have stopped all forms of discrimination was enforced in 1964, which was already 48 years ago – but the discrimination still happens until contemporary times. One is therefore made to reflect on the imposition of damages to organizations that continue to violate this law. If large amounts of compensatory damages have already been awarded to victims like Turley, then, how come situations like this continue to happen? Was the $25million, for instance, that was stipulated as awarded to Turley, solely accountable from the organization? What about the employees who were directly identified to have caused Turley undue and unfair treatment? What were their punishments? If these employees were summarily dismissed, does their dismissal earn learning the lesson that they should never discriminate anymore in their future work settings? The same situation and lawsuit was apparently filed and won in the case where “African American employees who were subjected to egregious racial harassment at a construction site in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania… (where) a major settlement of a racial harassment lawsuit for $1,650,000 and significant remedial relief against Conectiv, A.C. Dellovade, Inc., Steel Suppliers Erectors, Inc. and Matrix Services Industrial Contractors (doing business as Bogan, Inc. /Hake Group)” (“Conectiv and Subcontractor…” par. 1) ensued. So, it just proves that this kind of discrimination continues, and no amount of compensatory or punitive damages that were awarded stops it from happening. Conclusion The current essay has hereby successfully presented details of a racial discrimination situation that was effectively addressed and resolved in contemporary settings. Through the experience of Elijah Turley and other African Americans who continue to be subjected to vast amounts and forms of workplace discrimination, the court could justify rationality of filing charges against employers who apparently remain indifferent or unaffected in violating the EEOC law. One firmly believes that although the legal process could have effectively addressed a number of discrimination cases filed, the unfair, unequal and unjust treatment continues to exist in other facets of contemporary societies. Other more stringent interventions and regulations need to be enforced to ultimately put a stop to these atrocious behaviors. Works Cited "Conectiv and Subcontractors to Pay $1.65 Million to Black Workers Who Were Racially Harassed." U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 5 May 2008. Web. 31 Oct. 2012 Gordon, Claire. "Black Steelworker Awarded $25 Million After Years Of Racial Harassment." AoL Jobs.14 June 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. . "Laws Enforced by EEOC." U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. . Martires, Concepcion, and Galileo Fule. Management of Human Behavior in Organizations. Quezon City: National Bookstore, 2000. Miller, Renee M. "Creating Your Human Resources Road Map." Workforce Solutions. Concho Valley, n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. . "Section 15: Race and Color Discrimination." U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 9 April 2006. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. . Read More
Tags
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Dicrimination in Work Place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Dicrimination in Work Place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/management/1460202-dicrimination-in-work-place
(Dicrimination in Work Place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
Dicrimination in Work Place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words. https://studentshare.org/management/1460202-dicrimination-in-work-place.
“Dicrimination in Work Place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/management/1460202-dicrimination-in-work-place.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Discrimination in the Work Place

Discrimination in the work place. Workplace Safety

( cited in work place safety ) This research focuses on area of discrimination of single women in the work place.... The research begins on the hypothesis that ‘Single women are discriminated in the work place'.... In the research, we will be seeking to find out whether the single and married women in the work place face any kind of discrimination as compared to the male and married counterparts.... The research will be looking at whether single women get promoted in their places of work as compared to their married counterparts, do they receive pay rises at the same rate as their married counterparts, does the work place treat them more harshly as compared to their married counterparts?...
10 Pages (2500 words) Research Paper

Health care policy and financing

HEALTH CARE POLICY AND FINANCING Introduction As much as governments put in interventions to improve healthcare by coming up with policies and programs, it is important that all other stakeholders play their individual roles in ensuring that the policies and programs yield the objectives with which they were set up....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

Legislation Relating to Gender Discrimination in the Workplace

Nevertheless, the paper will focus on discussing the advantages and disadvantages of legislation concerning gender Discrimination in the Work Place.... The legislation that relate to gender Discrimination in the Work Place is the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, where the federal law seeks to establish gender equality in the workplace (Docksey, 1984, 81).... Advantages and Disadvantages of Legislation Relating to Gender discrimination in the Workplace Name: Tutor: Course: Institution: Date: Introduction During the early phases of men and women, there is a change of learning about the sex roles of each sex, and this is translated into an attitude, which results to problems in work life (Miller, Lietz & Kotte, 2002, 69)....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Disciplinary actions

The legislation hopes to protect all groups of people from Discrimination in the Work Place by doing this and attempts to bring equality among individuals working in organizations.... If this legislation is passed, gays and lesbians will no longer lose out to jobs due to their sexual orientation, but companies should not wait for its passing to get rid of such Discrimination in the Work Place as doing so is the right thing to do.... A disadvantage with this legislation is that it only protects employees who are working in an organization with 15 or more people meaning those employed by small businesses are not protected by it and thus can still be subject to Discrimination in the Work Place....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Diversity And Discrimination In the Work Place, Can It Ever Be Overcome

One of the main reasons because of which discrimination takes place in workplace is the lack of awareness that leads to insensitive and discriminatory behavior (Nishii and Wright, 2008).... Therefore, both the Human Resources team as well as the management should work in tandem through formal sessions, online trainings and need-based individual sessions to improve awareness.... This study looks at whether it is possible to avoid diversity and discrimination at workplace....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Disability has been identified as a major cause of Discrimination in the Work Place, and not only in the United States (US) but all over the world.... This act set the precedent for the formulation of various laws that protect individuals against discrimination based on disability, gender and a myriad of other factors that are causes of Discrimination in the Work Place.... This paper seeks to highlight, through the IRAC (Issue, Rule, Application and Conclusion) method of analysis, Discrimination in the Work Place presented by two separate cases....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Discrimination in the Workplace Case Analysis

The practice of discriminating individuals on basis of gender for promotion, salary benefits, compensation and employment benefits is known as gender or sexual discrimination.... Gender discrimination is very common in workplace and it mainly affects working women.... stances where men have also been subjected to gender discrimination, the majority of the victims of gender discrimination are women (Christofides & Swidinsky, 34)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper

Sexual Harassment at the Work Place

The creation of a moral and ethical framework to combat sexual harassment in the work place should be conducted under consideration of the underlying factors and issues that create opportunities for sexual harassment to take place.... The formulation of an ethical and moral framework to tackle sexual harassment should include other factors like the subordination of women in the work place, and gender disparity (Roa, 2007).... This paper "Sexual Harassment at the work place" focuses on the fact that sexual harassment is a term that is used to refer to unwanted sexual advances on an individual, and it exists in various forms and manifestations....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us