Retaliation Law - Strong Support from High Court
The United States Supreme Court has made it clear that workers must be protected from retaliation. Illegal retaliation occurs whenever an employee is punished for reporting discrimination or sexual harassment. In a string of recent cases, the Court has strongly supported employees. The Court recognizes that retaliation cannot be tolerated. Otherwise, the anti-discrimination and harassment laws will have little effect if workers can be punished for reporting discrimination or harassment. Employees will not report workplace violations if they are not protected.
In a recent decision, the Court stated that "fear of retaliation is the leading reason why people stay silent instead of voicing their concerns about bias and discrimination." In it's most recent decision, Crawford v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville, the Court again held in favor of an employee who had been fired shortly after she told company investigators that her boss had sexually harassed her. For more on this case or to get a full version of the Court's decision, see The Employment Law Memo.
