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Employment Rights
Know
your employment rights so you can protect yourself and not risk
being taken advantage of with or without your knowledge.
Job
discrimination
In hiring, working
conditions, wages, transfers, promotions, or firing, an employer
cannot treat you differently because of your sex, race, color, marital
status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion,
national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, HIV status, or age.
The
exception is when an employer may consider one of these characteristics
if it is an actual qualification for a specific job. For example
an employer may legally refuse to hire someone who does not speak
reasonably understandable English for a receptionist position.
Sexual
harassment
Both men and women
can be victims of sexual harassment. It includes: offensive touching
or remarks, offers of special treatment or promotion in exchange
for sexual favors, threats to fire you unless you engage in sexual
activity, and a hostile working environment because of offensive
photographs or sexually demeaning remarks.
Firing
and termination
In
Washington State, an employer may fire you for any reason except
when: 1. The firing is discriminatory; 2. The firing violates a
contract between you, your employer and/or your union; 3. You're
fired because you filed a complaint with a governent agency; or
4. Your employer made promises in policy manuals regarding termination
and fails to keep those promises.
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