Legal Question in Employment Law in Washington

I was recently fired from my job and then the union was able to help me get it back. 2 of my co-workers are not happy about this. I feel that they are treating me very bad in order to make me quit. As I have looked it up this is a hostile work environment. I was informed that due to the fact that I am a 28 year old White female I am not in a protected minority that I do not fit the definition of hostile work environment. I was wondering if this is true.


Asked on 5/29/10, 7:34 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Susan Beecher Susan L. Beecher, Atty at Law

"Hostile work environment" as a legal term means something more than "people are treating me unjustly in my work environment." It means they are treating you unjustly for an illegal reason. If they are treating you unjustly because of your membership in a protected group (e.g. because you are over 40 or belong to a protected minority), that is a hostile work environment in the legal sense. However, if they are treating you unjustly because you exercised your statutory rights (for example, if you filed an L & I claim, or, as might be the case here, you enforced your rights under the collective bargaining agreement), that is also a hostile work environment in the legal sense.

Talk to your union rep again about what is happening. If that does not help, you may want to talk with an employment law attorney with experience in labor law. (Labor law deals specifically with unions and the right to bargain colectively.)

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Answered on 5/30/10, 1:10 pm


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