Employment Discrimination Is Still a Problem

Despite changing times, employment discrimination is more common than you think. Even the best employers might one day discriminate against one of their employees or job applicants because of who they are. Employment discrimination can take many forms. You might be treated unfairly because of your race, age, or national origin. You might be harassed by managers or coworkers because of your sex or religion. You might be denied a reasonable accommodation for your disability or pregnancy. Or you might get fired or demoted because you complained about one of these types of issues at work—whether it happened to you or someone else. These are all illegal employment discrimination practices, but what can employment lawyers like me do to address them?

Government Agencies That Investigate Employment Discrimination

If you’re familiar with any government agency that handles employment discrimination, it’s probably the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or the EEOC. The EEOC processes and investigates charges of employment discrimination under federal law. Filing a timely, detailed, and accurate charge of discrimination with the EEOC is one of the major steps employment lawyers need to take when trying to resolve discrimination or retaliation against their clients. In fact, you can’t even get the right to sue your employer about any employment discrimination claims until you file a charge of discrimination first!

However, you should know that the EEOC is not the only place we turn to when our clients experience employment discrimination. Almost every state has its own agency that handles claims of employment discrimination. Many cities and counties also have similar agencies, as do U.S. territories like Puerto Rico. These are all called Fair Employment Practices Agencies, or FEPAs. Tribal governments also protect the rights of Native Americans and Alaska Natives through Tribal Employment Rights Offices, or TEROs. Typically, where you do your work (including work from home) determines which agency you can file with. These agencies are able to handle employment discrimination claims under state and local law as well, which may be stronger than federal law.

So which state and local agencies investigate employment discrimination in Texas? The state agency is the Texas Workforce Commission, or the TWC. Most Texans first interact with the TWC to apply for unemployment benefits, but the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division, or TWCCRD, has the power to investigate employment discrimination that happens in Texas. However, if you work in Austin or Fort Worth, those cities have their own agencies that cover you instead of the TWC. If you work in Austin, the agency is the City of Austin Office of Equity and Inclusion—Civil Rights Division. If you work in Fort Worth, the agency is the Fort Worth Civil Rights Office.

We Can Help!

Anyone can file a charge of discrimination against their employer, but deciding where, how, when, and what to file is what employment lawyers are experts in. It is especially important to speak to an employment lawyer about discrimination as soon as you find out about it because the laws that address employment discrimination have very short deadlines to file, typically 180 days or 300 days depending on where you worked and where you file.

Austin employees who believe they have suffered illegal discrimination, harassment, or retaliation at work should contact my office, Austin Employment Lawyers, P.C. The attorneys at Austin Employment Lawyers, P.C., represent employees in the Austin area and across Texas in all types of employment discrimination claims, including wrongful termination, pay disparities, harassment, failure to provide a reasonable accommodation, and retaliation.

For more information or to schedule a consultation, please visit our website or call us at (512) 271-5527.