Challenge Yourself!

Rosa spends her summers working on a fruit farm. The farm owner decreases her pay whenever she is late for work, but allows non-Mexican workers who arrive late to make up the time at the end of the day. Rosa believes the farm owner treats her differently because she is from Mexico. A friend tells Rosa to call the EEOC for help, but she is afraid because she is an undocumented worker. Can the EEOC help Rosa?

1. A. No. Undocumented workers are not protected by federal employment discrimination laws.

   A is incorrect.
   Federal employment discrimination laws protect employees from discrimination, even if the employees are not citizens or are not authorized to work in the United States.

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2. B. No. The farm owner has a right to decrease Rosa's pay if she is late for work.

   B is incorrect.
   While the farm owner may have a right to punish employees who are late for work, the owner may not treat employees who are late differently because of their national origin. The farm owner treats Rosa, who is Mexican, differently than non-Mexican workers who arrive at work late. The owner may be discriminating against Rosa because of her national origin.

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3. C. No. Rosa is only a seasonal employee, so she is not protected by the federal employment discrimination laws.

   C is incorrect.
   Federal law protects full-time, part-time, seasonal, and temporary employees from employment discrimination.

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4. D. Yes. Rosa may have been discriminated against because of her national origin. EEOC may be able to help Rosa even if she is an undocumented worker.

   D is correct.
   Federal employment discrimination laws protect employees from discrimination, even if the employees are not citizens or are not authorized to work in the United States. EEOC may investigate Rosa's claim to determine how the employer treats employees of other national origins who are late to work.

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