MI City Council Broadens Definition of Employment Discrimination

Under the   ordinance  passed in December, other“irrelevant characteristics” include a person’s actual or perceived race, religion, ancestry, national origin, color, sex age, height, weight, student status, marital status, familial status, housing status, veteran status, political affiliation or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and mental or physical limitation, according to a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) news report.

Discrimination protections are not limited to those listed by the Council, but include any status or condition unrelated to a person’s ability to safely and competently perform specific duties of a particular job or profession or qualify for promotion.

The ordinance covers all businesses in Lansing, or firms that do business there with five or more employees and applies to paid or unpaid people,  job applicants and participants in training programs, SHRM reported.