REPORT: Race and the Recession

The Applied Research Center recently released a report titled "Race and the Recession: How Inequity Rigged the Economy and how to Change the Rules." This report details the stories of people of color who are disproportionately affected by the recession. It uncovers root causes of long-term racial inequities that fed into the economic crisis. It proposes structural solutions to change a system that threatens future generations.

You can look at a synopsis of the report and watch a video of personal stories here.

The report finds that: "People of color have been relegated to precarious, low-wage work - or no work - at disproportionate rates. Black, Latino, Asian and American Indian communities face barriers in employment, including discrimination in hiring and promotions, unfair criminal background checks and the lack of protections for immigrant workers. As a result, communities of color on the whole, relative to whites, face higher rates of poverty, are less likely to have healthcare and consistently face recessionary levels of unemployment and underemployment."

Be sure to check out the Action Steps listed on the ARC's website and make sure your voice is heard!

Dear Helpline

When I told my boss I was pregnant, he said, "That’s unfortunate! You had so much potential." I'm afraid he's going to cut my hours – or worse, fire me. Is this legal? What rights do I have?

You are protected by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act from being discriminated against in employment & employment decisions while you are pregnant. PDA says that all workplaces that engage in interstate commerce (using phones/the internet actually counts for this!) and have 15 or more employees cannot discriminate against pregnant women when making hiring/promotion decisions, cannot force a pregnant woman to take leave, and cannot deny pregnant women the same benefits they give to other "temporarily disabled" employees. Therefore, it is unlawful for your employer to cut your hours, refuse to promote you, or to fire you based solely on your pregnancy. And, if he should do so, that statement he made could be sufficient grounds for filing a discrimination charge with the EEOC.

TAKE ACTION for Equal Pay Day!

You can take action today by letting your US Senator know that you support the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act.

The Paycheck Fairness Act is comprehensive legislation that updates the Equal Pay Act of 1963. It will:

*strengthen penalties courts may impose for violations of existing equal pay laws
*prohibit retaliation against workers who inquire about or share wage information
*empower women to better negotiate for equal pay.


Approved by a bipartisan effort in House of Representatives, after the passage and signing of the historic Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, it is the next step toward ending wage discrimination.

Take Action by contacting your US Senator today! Click here for a link to a letter that can be sent from the 9to5 website!

In the News, part two

I don't have a computer or internet access at home, so every morning I get to work about a half hour early so I can have time to check my email & read up on the news before I start the day. Normally I watch "Meet the Press" or buy a $1 copy of the AJC on Sunday mornings & catch up on the weekend's news that way, but since yesterday was Easter, I was really out of touch with what's been going on by the time I got to work this morning. In addition to learning how to standoff with the pirates off the coast of Somalia ended (one word: Whoa!), there were two articles that pertained to 9to5 that drew my attention...

The second was from AJC.com, about an increase in discrimination lawsuits as more and more workers are laid off during the recession.

Read the article here.

I don't have too many comments on this article... Instead, I just found it interesting that the number of discrimination claims and lawsuits has jumped so much in recent months. I operate the 9to5 Job Survival Helpline (1-800-522-0925) and I get a lot of questions about discrimination -- pregnancy discrimination, age discrimination, gender discrimination, among others. Women call me with questions about what's illegal (and what's not -- for instance, it's not illegal for a company to refuse to hire someone because they know that person is homeless!) and what their rights are if they have been discriminated against.

And just remember: Make sure you know your rights BEFORE you're discriminated against, so you can take necessary action against any discrimination that you experience. Any questions? Don't hesitate to call the Helpline.