Labor rights lawyer: ‘Political winds blowing the right way’ to pass ENDA

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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/25/labor-rights-lawyer-political-winds-blowing-the-right-way-to-pass-enda/



The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is set to be reintroduced before both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on Thursday. The legislation would put into place federal protections for LGBT people in the workplace, making it illegal to fire or otherwise discriminate against a person because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Raw Story spoke to labor rights attorney John P. Mahoney, a partner in the labor and employment law practice Tully Rinckey who said that his firm is constantly receiving complaints of discrimination and harassment in federal workplaces, but that the time is right for ENDA and that the “political winds are blowing the right way” in favor of the bill becoming law.

“We have hundreds of discrimination cases at any given time pending against the executive branch of the federal government,” said Mahoney by phone. His firm, he said, represents plaintiffs throughout the U.S. and around the world who have been victims of discrimination at jobs with the federal government.

“So, unfortunately, there’s a lot of discrimination in the federal government that persists to this day,” he said, “which is why the Employment Non-Discrimination Act is so important.”