US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

The Cotton State of Alabama is home to nearly five million residents, according to a 2008 census estimate. The state brings in a GDP of around $160 billion annually, per a 2006 report from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. Alabama is an agricultural center and produces an array of farm goods, including cattle, peanuts, vegetable, cotton, peaches, and soy. In recent years, AL has cultivated more diverse industries, including banking, biotechnology, medical research, steel and iron development, and aerospace. Huntsville, Alabama serves as the headquarters for a number of NASA Command Centers. Alabama’s only major port city, Mobile, abuts the Gulf of Mexico and generates a sizable income for the state. In 2007, a German contractor signed a deal to build a steel production plant in Mobile worth nearly $4 billion.

Alabama does not have a dedicated state agency to handle employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims at the workplace. Instead, such complaints are funneled through the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a federal agency. Atlanta employers must comply with federal anti-discrimination laws pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, The Age Discrimination and Employment Act, The Immigration Reform and Control Act, The Equal Pay Act, The Americans with Disabilities Act, and other laws. Pursuant to federal law, Alabama prohibits employers from discriminating against current or potential employees on the basis of disability, religion, gender, national origin, race, union membership, religion, color, or pregnancy. Most antidiscrimination claims in Alabama should be made pursuant to guidelines set by federal statutes, although exceptions to this rule can occur.

In the 1960s, Alabama found itself at the heart of the battle over civil rights and equal opportunity in United States. Massive televised protests in the city of Birmingham captivated the nation’s attention and led to a sea change in the national consciousness on race. Following that volatility, the United States passed both the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These laws ended many de facto and de jure discriminatory practices that had been pervasive throughout the state.

If your Alabama employer has subjected you to racial discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment or other unfair or unsafe workplace conditions, the attorneys here at Joseph, Herzfeld, Hester & Kirschenbaum LLP can provide a free, confidential consultation. Book an appointment with us now, or find out more about us from here at www.jhllp.com.