Page 3 - White Paper-Employment Termination

• Religious Creed (Federal and Massachusetts law)

• National Origin and/or Ancestry (Federal and Massachusetts law)

• Sex (Federal and Massachusetts law)

• Age: over 40 (Federal and Massachusetts law)

• Disability or Perceived Disability (Federal and Massachusetts law)

• Pregnancy (Massachusetts law)

• Gender Identity (Massachusetts state law)

• Sexual Orientation (Massachusetts state law)

• Genetic Information (Massachusetts state law)

It is also important to note that there are other categories of people that

might be considered a distinct “class” but are not “protected classes” under the

law, including people with particular political views or affiliation, socioeconomic

class, status as a parent, or appearance. An employer should still be careful,

however, about treating employees differently for any reason other than job

performance, as the law can evolve in these areas as well. For example, for many

years obesity was not considered a protected class, but recently some courts have

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