Family and Medical Leave Act

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows qualified employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in order to recover from medical illness or to attend to close family members who may be suffering from illness. The FMLA requires that employers reinstate employees to the same or equivalent position as they held prior to taking leave.

Read more: FMLA

Generally

Discriminating on the basis of age is illegal under the Federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Age discrimination also violates state and local laws. Under all laws, there are some special limitations on who can sue. People under forty years old are not protected by age discrimination laws. If an employer refuses to hire somebody because he or she is thirty-nine, and therefore "too young" or even because they are “too old”, that is not illegal. But if the employer refuses to hire someone because he or she is forty (or older) it is illegal. Age discrimination has some special aspects that make it different from other types of employment discrimination, a few of which are discussed below.

Read more: Age Discrimination

It is illegal for an employer to discriminate against any of its employees based on race, gender, religion, national origin, age or disability. It is also illegal for an employer to retaliate against an employee who seeks the protection of the anti-discrimination laws. Thus, an employee who actively opposes unlawful discriminatory practices, or who participates in proceedings relating to someone else’s discrimination claim, and suffers an adverse employment action as a result, may bring a separate claim of retaliation.

Read more: Retaliation

In the Workplace:

Sexual harassment in the workplace generally falls into two categories:
“quid pro quo” and “hostile work environment.” While these are discrete violations, a victim of workplace sexual harassment can often experience both types of discrimination, in a given situation.

Read more: Sexual Harassment