Discrimination At Work

An employer may not refuse to hire or recruit, discharge, or otherwise discriminate against a person in employment, pay, or a term, condition or privilege of employment because of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, height, weight or marital status. Nor may it limit, segregate or classify employees or applicants in a way that deprives them of opportunities for those reasons.

• §MCL 37.2202

An employer here is anyone with 1 or more employees. Sex includes pregnancy, childbirth, the termination of a pregnancy and related medical conditions, and a person so affected has to be treated the same as others similar in their ability or inability to work.

• §MCL 37.2201
• §MCL 37.2202

Race includes traits historically associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists. Discrimination because of sex includes sexual harassment: unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other conduct or communication of a sexual nature, where submitting is made a condition of employment, where submitting or refusing is used in employment decisions, or where it substantially interferes with the work or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.

• §MCL 37.2103

A separate act bars an employer from refusing to hire or promote, discharging, or otherwise discriminating because of a disability or genetic information unrelated to the person's ability to do the job. It also bars acting on physical or mental examinations not directly related to the job, and refusing to hire or discharging a person when adaptive devices or aids would let them do it.

• §MCL 37.1202

No person may retaliate or discriminate against someone for opposing a violation of the act, or for making a charge, filing a complaint, testifying, assisting, or taking part in an investigation, proceeding or hearing under it.

• §MCL 37.2701

A person alleging a violation may bring a civil action in circuit court for an injunction, damages or both, in the county where the violation happened or where the defendant resides or has its principal place of business. Damages include reasonable attorney's fees.

• §MCL 37.2801

Employment by a person's own parent, spouse or child is outside this section. The time limit for filing the lawsuit is set by another statute, and the complaint process at the state's civil rights department is separate; neither is covered here.

• §MCL 37.2202