Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC)

Pundit James Carville once famously described the Keystone State of Pennsylvania as “two cities with Alabama in between.” The point Carville was trying to make was that Pennsylvania’s demographics, micro-economies, and cultural attitudes are widely diverse. The two main cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are cosmopolitan centers, home to a diversity of companies and industries. The rural regions between these two cities, on the other hand, are ethnically and economically far more homogeneous. Among Pennsylvania’s 12.5 million citizens, you can find Mennonites, Quakers, Amish, college students, mill and mine workers, steel magnates, bankers, and mushroom farmers.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) collects and investigates claims of employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour violations. The Pennsylvania legislature established the PHRC in 1955.

Over the past half century, the Commission’s jurisdiction has expanded to enforce laws against discrimination based on blindness, national origin, disability, age, sex, ancestry, familial status, race, color, creed, and a variety of other factors. The Commission enforces both the Pennsylvania Fare Educational Opportunities Act and the Pennsylvanian Human Relations Act. Since the late 1950s and early 1960s, these acts have undergone numerous amendments, shifting the PHRC’s policy priorities. Eleven Commissioners -- appointed directly by the PA governor -- oversee the PHRC. These commissioners set regulations, hear cases and create policy.

PA’s complicated racial dynamics can present problems at workplaces. Consider the recent case of a Pennsylvania police officer who was suspended after she refused to take off her Muslim head scarf while on duty. Although the claimant lost her case, some anti-discrimination advocates applauded the ruling because it showed how much the state valued the principle of “religious neutrality” among the police force.

If you are in the midst of a complicated workplace harassment, discrimination, retaliation or wage and hour situation, the firm of Joseph, Herzfeld, Hester & Kirschenbaum LLP can provide a free, no obligation consultation about your matter.