We have spent a considerable amount of time on sexual harassment cases in previous posts. Sexual harassment is among the many different types of harassment that New Orleans women are commonly subjected to. Another common form of harassment in Louisiana workplaces is gender discrimination.

Gender discrimination occurs when an employee is treated differently in the workplace because of his or her gender. Gender discrimination can occur in several ways but often manifests itself in unequal pay for women for the same work performed by men. Unequal pay can also be a sign of racial discrimination when same-sex individuals of different races receive different salaries for the same work.

One nurse recently filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against her employer in New Orleans Federal Court. The nurse said that she was paid $4 less per hour than the other nurses at her job. The woman alleges that her hourly rate for her home nursing duties was $21 per hour but that white employees were paid $25 per hour for the same work.

The nurse complained about this discriminatory wage disparity and was harassed by her coworkers as a result. She was then terminated when her position was eliminated. It is unclear whether the woman's position was the only one that was eliminated. If that is the case, then she will probably have a strong retaliation case against her employer.

It is often best to contact an experienced employment law attorney before taking any action in a discrimination case. An employment law attorney can help you properly document the situation and make sure that your employer is aware that there will be consequences for discriminatory behavior.

Source: Louisiana Record, "Nurse files racial discrimination lawsuit due to lower pay," Michelle Keahey, Jan. 3, 2012