Indianapolis Employment Law Blog

AT&T, whose offices are located in Indiana and across the United States, had been sued by a Muslim woman in what can only be described as a hostile work environment matter. The harassment finally went too far when the woman's supervisor purportedly snatched her head scarf off and exposed her hair.

During her final years working for AT&T before being fired from her job, this woman reported that she was called a terrorist and "towel-head" and was asked if she had plans on blowing up the building. The corporate conglomerate may be forced to pay a heavy price for allowing such conduct to continue as the woman was awarded $120,000 in lost wages and $5 million in punitive damages in her discrimination lawsuit.

Indiana has the 5th greatest disparity between the average wages of men and average wages of women. While the national gap between men and women's wages is 77 cents for every dollar, in Indiana the gap is 72 cents for every dollar.

Though the figures itself seem to indicate the prevalence of gender discrimination, some would argue that the difference is primarily due to the different type of job duties that women perform versus what men perform. Yet studies indicate that when education, training and number of work hours are taken into account, women still are on the losing end when it comes to wage equality.

Whirlpool Corp. recently closed a refrigerator factory in Indiana while paying their top executives more than $75 million in salary and bonuses. Instead of manufacturing refrigerators in the United States, Whirlpool alleges that the layoffs are the result of competitors importing refrigerators from South Korea and Mexico. However, the U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled that such imports did not cause any material injury to Whirlpool's ability to market its products in the United States.

Though there are probably several different sides to this story, allegations of unfair labor negotiations by corporations and wage claims often arise under such circumstances. It is one thing to point to tough economic times as the reason for layoffs. It's another matter when middle and lower class workers are being laid-off while executives are being financially rewarded.

Types of employment discrimination are constantly being challenged in state and federal courts in Indiana and across the nation. One particular case is making the news concerning the firing of a volleyball coach and science teacher at a Christian Academy for delivering a child out of wedlock.

Though on its face this may seem wrong, the woman may have some difficulty in successfully challenging the academy's decision as the academy is a private institution. A recent United State Supreme Court decision has defended Christian schools in their firing practices as such teachers may be defined by the courts as "ministers in the classroom."