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White Discussion
Analyze the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. v.
White case and discuss whether you agree or disagree with the
Courts ruling, and why?
In the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. v. White case
Sheila White was the only woman working in the Maintenance of
Way Department of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad's
Tennessee Yard. She complained about being harassed by her
supervisor that was then punished. Sheila was demotivated from her
job role from a forklift operator to track laborer, though her job
classification remained the same. She was also suspended for 37
days without pay, but was eventually reinstated and given full back
pay.
After exhausting administrative remedies. The jury was in favor of
Sheila with the claims she made above. They awarded her $43,500
in compensatory damages, including $3,250 in medical expenses.
The District Court denied Burlington's post-trial motion for judgment
as a matter of law. The jury's conclusion that the 37-day suspension
without pay was materially adverse was a reasonable one, which I
highly agree on, as this made Sheila unstable emotionally and
economically.
I agree with the supreme courts decisions as Sheila was
discriminated. Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co have
violated the rules under the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
and should be held liable. For those who are unaware the Title VII is
principally designed to protect victims of discrimination based on
race, color, sex, national origin, or religion. Sheila suffered under the
retaliatory discrimination when she was reallocated job positions to
less desirable duties and was also suspended without pay as seen in
the case. Event though the duties were within the same
classification and the pay was eventually reinstated; the action was
nevertheless sufficiently harsh to represent retaliatory
discrimination.
Under the employee rights in the US there are many laws that
employees are legally entitled to in the workplace. I was quite
curious in knowing what they consisted of here in the USA. As in the
UK Im sure they are the same but they may differ according to the
countries regulations. Here is a link to one of the laws that protects
employees in the US. I believe we should know our rights as more or
less of us are in the working environment.
https://www.dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/EmployeeRightsPoster11
x17_Final.pdf
Hey Valerie
I agree that any reasonable person would have some sort
of discomfort if they were to rely on there monthly
paycheck to paycheck. Sheila may have received a back
pay. However living on no income for more than a month
and not knowing if she was able to go back to work made
her emotionally and economically unstable. She describes
to the jury ("That was the worst Christmas I had out of my
life. No income, no money, and that made all of us feel
bad. . . . I got very depressed"). She did obtain medical
treatment for her emotional distress in the end. But no one
should go through this.
Thanks
Mavesh
EmployeeRightsLawencompassesthevariousrightsthathavearisen
overtimewhichemployeesarelegallyentitledtointheworkplace,such
as:limitsondrugtesting;freedomfromdiscriminationwhenan
employeeispartofaprotectedclass;rightsrelatedtowageandhourlaw;
therightsofworkerstoreturntotheirformerjobsafterservinginthe
military;takingunpaidleaveforbirthsoradoptions,orserioushealth
conditionstheemployeeorhis/herimmediatefamilymemberisdealing
with