Employment Discrimination Ever since the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, Americans have become acutely aware of the insidious nature of discrimination. Put simply, discrimination is unfair treatment or denial of regular and customary privileges to another person because of a particular characteristic. While not all discrimination is necessarily unfair, there are numerous instances in federal and state law where denial of these privileges may be illegal and violate the law. For example, there are many highly qualified people in the work force who are denied advancements, promotions, salary increases, and other benefits simply because of who they are and not because of their qualifications or credentials for the jobs that they do. In Massachusetts, it is illegal in certain cases to discriminate against a person in a number of different contexts.
Employment is the most common and frequently encountered scenario.
However, other instances in which discrimination may take place include the purchasing of insurance, real estate, mortgages, and credit. In Massachusetts, it is illegal in certain instances to discriminate against a person because of the race, color, religion, natural origin, sex, sexual orientation, or ancestry of a particular individual. The MCAD is located at One Ashburton Place, Suite 601, Boston, Massachusetts. The MCAD is the state agency in charge of investigating and enforcing State law in areas dealing with discrimination. Under Massachusetts law, the MCAD has the authority to initiate, investigate, and issue decisions on charges of discrimination.