Title 23. Labor and Workers’ Compensation

Chapter 3-a. Prohibited Discrimination in Employment

Part IV. Unlawful Discrimination in Employment

23:332     Intentional discrimination in employment

A. It shall be unlawful discrimination in employment for an employer to engage in any of the following practices:

(1) Intentionally fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to intentionally discriminate against any individual with respect to compensation, or terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of the individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

(2) Intentionally limit, segregate, or classify employees or applicants for employment in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities, or otherwise adversely affect the individual’s status as an employee, because of the individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

(3) Intentionally pay wages to an employee at a rate less than that of another employee of the opposite sex for equal work on jobs in which their performance requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility and which are performed under similar working conditions. An employer paying wages in violation of this Section may not reduce the wages of any other employee in order to comply with this Section.

B. It shall be unlawful discrimination in employment for an employment agency to intentionally fail or refuse to refer for employment, or otherwise to intentionally discriminate against, any individual because of his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, or to intentionally classify or refer for employment any individual on the basis of his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

C. It shall be unlawful discrimination in employment for a labor organization to engage in any of the following practices:

(1) Intentionally exclude or intentionally expel from its membership, or otherwise intentionally discriminate against, any individual because of his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

(2) Intentionally limit, segregate, or classify its membership or applicants for membership, or intentionally classify or fail or refuse to refer for employment any individual in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities, or would limit such employment opportunities, or otherwise adversely affect his status as an employee or as an applicant for employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

(3) Intentionally cause or attempt to cause an employer to discriminate against an individual in violation of this Section.

D. It shall be unlawful discrimination in employment for any employer, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee controlling apprenticeship or other training or retraining, including on-the-job training programs, to discriminate against any individual because of his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in admission to, or employment in, any program established to provide apprenticeship or other training.

E. It shall be unlawful discrimination in employment for an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee controlling apprenticeship or other training or retraining, including on-the-job training programs, to print or publish, or cause to be printed or published, any notice or advertisement relating to employment by an employer or membership in or any classification or referral for employment by a labor organization, or relating to any classification or referral for employment by an employment agency, or relating to admission to, or employment in, any program established to provide apprenticeship or other training by a joint labor-management committee, indicating any preference, limitation, specification, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. However, a notice or advertisement may indicate a preference, limitation, specification, or discrimination based on religion, sex, or national origin when religion, sex, or national origin is a bona fide occupational qualification for employment.

F. It shall be unlawful discrimination in employment for an insurer to engage in any of the following practices:

(1) Intentionally fail or refuse to appoint or to discharge any insurance agent, or otherwise to intentionally discriminate against any insurance agent with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of the insurance agent’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

(2) Intentionally limit, segregate, or classify his insurance agents or applicants for an insurance agent in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any insurance agent or applicant of employment opportunities, or otherwise adversely affect his status as an insurance agent or applicant because of the insurance agent’s or applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

G. Nothing contained in this Section shall be construed so as to create a cause of action against an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or insurer for employment practices pursuant to any affirmative action plan.

H. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, it shall not be unlawful discrimination in employment for:

(1) An employer to hire and employ employees, for an employment agency to classify or refer for employment any individual, for a labor organization to classify its membership or to classify or refer for employment any individual, or for an employer, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee controlling apprenticeship or other training or retraining programs to admit or employ any individual in any such program on the basis of his religion, sex, or national origin in those certain instances where religion, sex, or national origin is a bona fide occupational qualification reasonably necessary for the normal operation of that particular business or enterprise.

(2) A school, college, university, or other educational institution or institution of learning to hire and employ employees of a particular religion if such school, college, university, or other educational institution or institution of learning is, in whole or in substantial part, owned, supported, controlled, or managed by a particular religion or by a particular religious corporation, association, or society, or if the curriculum of the school, college, university, or other educational institution or institution of learning is directed toward the propagation of a particular religion.

(3) An employer to apply different standards of compensation or different terms, conditions, or privileges of employment pursuant to a bona fide seniority or merit system, or a system which measures earnings by quantity or quality of production, or any other differential based on any factor other than sex, or to employees who work in different locations, provided that such differences are not the result of an intention to discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

(4) An employer to give and to act upon the results of any professionally developed ability test, provided that such test, its administration, or action upon the results is not designed, intended, or used to discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Added by Acts 1997, No. 1409, § 1, eff. Aug. 1, 1997. Amended by Acts 2014, No. 750, § 1.