Minneapolis Wrongful Termination Law Blog

Regardless of one's race, gender, religious belief or age, Minneapolis residents deserve to work in a space that is free from discrimination and one where they feel safe and respected. Providing those workplaces is an employer's responsibility, but an employer could be far-removed from the workplace. This is where managers and supervisors come into play -- they keep up with what is happening in the office and are often the ones violated employees go to in order to report a problem. When a supervisor or manager neglects to address the problem and lets discrimination continue, they may be in violation of federal laws.

As mentioned previously on this blog, sexual harassment and discrimination on the basis of sex is illegal in Minneapolis, as is across the country. However, discrimination is still rampant. Whether one is facing unwanted sexual advances, receiving inappropriate attention because of one's sexual orientation or is being denied the space or opportunity to pump, they may have a case for employment law violations.

Wherever there is a chance, there is likely a person who is trying to take advantage of the government or other systems for their own benefit. The reality is that fraud is extremely common, and it's something that the government relies on others reporting.

There's no way for the government to know, or be able to discover, all the fraud that takes place. That's why it provides whistleblower protections to those who discover and report fraud.

There are a number of misconceptions about sexual harassment in the workplace that may confuse Minnesota residents who believe they are being harassed or discriminated against on the basis of their sex. This may prevent someone from calling attention to unwanted behavior that makes them uncomfortable in their office space. Therefore, understanding what sexual harassment is and what the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission looks at while investigating allegations can be helpful to all employees in their individual workplaces.

Firstly, sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that is in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to the law, it is illegal to harass someone -- either an employee or an applicant -- on the basis of their sex. While many believe a harasser is only a man or someone of the opposite sex, this is not the case -- a harasser can be of any sex and does not have to be one of the opposite one. Additionally, the harasser does not have to be a supervisor only -- it can be an agent of the employer, a co-worker, a supervisor of another department and even a non-employee. Additionally, the victim does not have to be the person harassed -- it could be anyone who is affected by the harassing behavior.

With the use of medical marijuana legal in Minnesota, many individuals may find themselves hesitating from taking the substance for treatment of their medical conditions for fear of getting terminated from their job by testing positive on a drug test. However, it is important for Minnesota residents to know that they are protected from employment discrimination on the basis of using medical cannabis.

Medical cannabis is any cannabis plant that is delivered in any method approved by the Minnesota Department of health, including in liquid form, pill or vaporized delivery. If a Minnesota resident has been diagnosed with a qualifying condition, such as glaucoma, AIDS, cancer, or a terminal illness, among others, they are eligible to get treated with medical cannabis. To do so, they must be enrolled with the medical cannabis registry program. This is different from smoking marijuana, which is still considered illegal in the state.