Employment

Pursuant to State Government Article, § 20-602, Annotated Code of Maryland,​ it is illegal to discriminate against someone (applicant or employee) because of that person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military status, or disability. It is also illegal to retaliate against a person because he or she complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit. The law forbids discrimination in every aspect of employment.

This means that:​

• Employers cannot discriminate in recruiting, interviewing, hiring, upgrading, setting work conditions, or discharging.
• Labor organizations cannot deny membership to qualified persons or discriminate in apprenticeship programs.
• Employment agencies cannot discriminate in job referrals, ask discriminatory pre-employment questions, or circulate information that unlawfully limits employment.
• Newspapers and other media cannot publish job advertisements that discriminate.

​Additionally, the CROWN Act (Chapters 473 & 474 of the 2020 Acts of the Maryland General Assembly) added to existing state law that race discrimination includes traits associated with race, such as hair texture, afro hairstyles, and protective hairstyles.

Harassment on the basis of a protected class (above, such as sexual harassment) and retaliation for filing a complaint or being involved in the investigation are both prohibited under law and enforced by MCCR.​

The statute of limitations to file a complaint with MCCR alleging unlawful discrimination or retaliation in employment is 300 days from the date of the alleged act. If the complaint alleges unlawful harassment, the statute of limitations is 2 years from the date on which the alleged harassment occurred.

If you have experienced discrimination,  it is imperative that you contact our agency immediately to initiate an inquiry so that we can assist you in determining if you have been a victim of employment discrimination. Our trained Intake Staff will guide you through the intake process and, through a series of questions and interviews, help you analyze your situation to determine if the actions taken against you meet the threshold of being considered discriminatory.​

For deaf and hard of hearing individuals as well as those with limited English proficiency, MCCR provides Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) services free of charge to you upon request. MCCR will also assist with securing an interpreter free of charge if one is requested in advance of your appointment with MCCR.

Note: Maryland employment anti-discrimination law applies only to those employers with 15 or more employees. However, complaints alleging unlawful employment harassment can be filed against employers with 1 or more employee.​

¹State Government Article § 20-601, Annotated Code of Maryland, authorizes the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights to investigate complaints of alleged unlawful harassment, including sexual harassment, so long as the employer has at least 1 employee.