Were you discriminated against at work in San Bernardino?
Being treated worse because of who you are, in pay, promotion, discipline, scheduling or termination, may be unlawful. Retaliation after you objected or reported it may be unlawful too.
If your workplace rights were violated, you may be able to pursue compensation for lost pay or emotional harm, and hold your employer accountable.
Not sure whether it was "serious enough"? You can request a review even if you never reported it to HR or are still employed.
What discrimination actually looks like, and what the law calls it.
Discrimination is rarely a single dramatic act. It's the pattern, the 'jokes,' the passed-over promotion, the accommodation that never comes, the sudden performance problem after you spoke up. The legal test is whether a protected trait drove how you were treated.
The 'nicknames' are slurs. Everyone laughs, so I'm supposed to laugh too.
The law calls it → racial or national-origin harassment
- Since I started wearing a hijab, I'm suddenly 'not a culture fit' for client meetings. The law calls it → religious discrimination
- They call me 'grandpa' in standups and gave the project I built to someone half my age. The law calls it → age-based harassment and discrimination (40+)
- I asked for a simple schedule change for my disability. Months later, still nothing, and now I'm 'unreliable.' The law calls it → failure to accommodate a disability
- I reported the slurs to HR. Two weeks later my performance was suddenly a problem. The law calls it → retaliation, illegal even if the original complaint isn't proven, as long as it was made in good faith
- The staffing agency 'rotates' Black temps out of the forklift-certified roles the client pays more for. The law calls it → race discrimination in placement, both employers can be liable
These cover race and national origin, disability (and accommodations), age (40 and over), religion (and accommodations), sex and pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity, in any industry. If something here is familiar, you don't have to be sure before you ask.
Illustrative situations, not client accounts.
Workplace discrimination in San Bernardino and the Inland Empire, by race, national origin, disability, age, or religion, is prohibited by California's FEHA. Harassment is covered at any employer size; discrimination needs 5 or more, and FEHA covers temp and contract workers. You have 3 years to file with the Civil Rights Department, and state-law remedies are not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule.
What could taking action help you pursue?
Depending on the facts, legal action may help recover financial losses, address emotional harm, restore employment opportunities, or require workplace changes. Available remedies depend on the facts and applicable law; no outcome is guaranteed.
Recover what you lost
Lost pay, benefits, hours, and employment opportunities tied to the unlawful conduct.
Address the harm
Compensation for emotional distress may be available where the law provides for it.
Restore an opportunity
Some cases may involve reinstatement, promotion, corrected records, or another job-related remedy.
Create accountability
A resolution may include policy changes, training, or other corrective workplace action.
You do not need a perfect record, or even to know whether what happened was illegal, before asking what your options are.
Common concerns we hear from employees
I never reported it to HR.
You may still have legal options. Not reporting immediately does not automatically end your rights, although the specific facts can affect a claim.
I don't have screenshots or witnesses.
You do not need a complete evidence file before contacting us. We can help identify texts, emails, schedules, witnesses, and other evidence that may matter.
I still work there.
You can ask questions while still employed. Retaliating against a worker for opposing unlawful conduct or asserting protected rights may itself be unlawful.
It was a customer or client, not a coworker.
In some circumstances, an employer may be responsible for the conduct of supervisors, coworkers, customers, clients, or other third parties.
Craig J. Ackermann
Shareholder · Admitted in California
Craig Ackermann represents California employees in wage-and-hour class actions, sexual and racial harassment, discrimination, and retaliation matters. He is licensed in California, Washington, and Texas.
Read Craig's full bio →Real verdicts and recoveries in harassment and discrimination cases.
$15 million
1 plaintiff · Gender pay & promotion discrimination, jury verdict (punitive damages under federal + Oregon law)
Jury verdict, subject to post-trial proceedings. Not a settlement or a collected recovery.
$1.3 million
19 Black construction workers · Racial harassment (hostile work environment)
$1 million
27 Black construction workers · Racial harassment (hostile work environment)
$725,000
14 individuals · Racial harassment (14 individual arbitrations)
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
What happens after you reach out?
You don't need documents, a lawyer-ready story, or even certainty that what happened was illegal.
- 01
Talk with us
A short initial conversation about what happened and when.
- 02
We assess the record
We identify possible claims, deadlines and evidence that may matter.
- 03
If we take the case
We handle the filing strategy, negotiations and litigation.
Deadlines can depend on where and how you file
California and federal claims may follow different filing routes. These are general time limits, not sequential steps.
Generally, to file an employment-discrimination or harassment complaint with California's Civil Rights Department.
CRD, Employment ↗Often, to file an EEOC charge when the claim is also covered by state or local anti-discrimination law.
EEOC, How to File a Charge ↗Generally, to file a lawsuit after receiving a California CRD right-to-sue notice.
CRD, Obtain a Right to Sue ↗Other claims and exceptions may have different or shorter deadlines. Contact counsel promptly so the applicable dates can be reviewed.
Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)
Cal. Gov. Code § 12940 et seq.
Primary source, Cal. Gov. Code § 12940 et seq. ↗Share what happened in about two minutes. The firm will review your submission and contact you about possible options and next steps. There is no cost or obligation to request a review.
Deadlines and filing issues for workers in San Bernardino.
- Temp assignments end; deadlines don't. The 3-year CRD clock runs from the discriminatory act, not your last placement.
- Federal claims still run on the 300-day EEOC clock, far shorter than California's window.
- Name BOTH the staffing agency and the warehouse in the complaint, waiting to identify the right employer burns clock.
- The CRD accepts complaints in multiple languages, but a language barrier never extends a deadline.
Local filing and enforcement information for San Bernardino workers.
The sources below are public agency actions and filing information, not this firm's cases. They illustrate how claims have been handled and do not predict the outcome of another matter.
- Race / national origin EEOC v. Scully Distribution Services / SDS Fontana Holdings (C.D. Cal., Eastern Division): $630,000 consent decree (2012) over allegations that management at the Fontana-based trucking company referred to Black drivers with racial slurs and East Indian drivers as “Taliban” and “camel jockey,” and gave non-white drivers less favorable assignments. official source ↗
These are public government enforcement actions by the EEOC, not this firm's cases. Agency and state filing routes for San Bernardino follow below.
Where do you file a workplace discrimination claim in San Bernardino?
California Civil Rights Department
Riverside Office1325 Spruce Street, Suite 320
Riverside, CA 92507
(800) 884-1684
Filing is CENTRALIZED statewide: online via California Civil Rights System (CCRS), phone 800-884-1684, 711 relay, TTY 1-800-700-2320, email contact.center@calcivilrights.ca.gov, or mail to HQ. CRD HQ/mailing is 651 Bannon Street, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95811.
File online →EEOC Los Angeles District Office
There is no EEOC office in San Bernardino, the county is served by the Los Angeles District Office. Most workers file online via the EEOC Public Portal.
Roybal Federal Building, 255 East Temple St., 4th FloorLos Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 785-3090 EEOC Public Portal →
San Bernardino County Superior Court
San Bernardino Justice Center, Civil Division247 West Third Street
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0210
The filing path, step by step
- 1Document the pattern, shift logs, quotas, accommodation requests, who was promoted. Warehouse evidence disappears with turnover.
- 2File with the California Civil Rights Department within 3 years, online via the CCRS portal. Filing is centralized statewide.
- 3If you're temp-placed: name BOTH the staffing agency and the worksite employer.
- 4After a CRD right-to-sue notice: 1 year to file at the San Bernardino Justice Center, Civil Division (247 W Third St).
Employment discrimination information in other California cities
- FresnoEmployment-discrimination information
- Long BeachEmployment-discrimination information
- Los AngelesEmployment-discrimination information
- Orange CountyEmployment-discrimination information
- RiversideEmployment-discrimination information
- SacramentoEmployment-discrimination information
Asked by San Bernardino workers.
Racial and accent 'jokes' are constant on my Inland Empire warehouse floor, is that illegal?
Yes. FEHA bars race and national-origin harassment at any employer size and covers temp and contract workers explicitly. The Inland Empire's logistics floors are a recognized risk environment. You have 3 years to file with the Civil Rights Department; document the pattern before warehouse turnover buries it.
I was injured at my San Bernardino warehouse and now they won't accommodate, what are my rights?
FEHA requires employers with 5 or more workers to reasonably accommodate disabilities and engage in a good-faith interactive process, broader than the ADA. Refusing light duty or a transfer, then disciplining you, can be unlawful. File with the Civil Rights Department within 3 years; state-law damages are not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule.
I'm temp-placed in an Inland Empire warehouse, who is liable for discrimination?
Both can be. California explicitly covers workers 'providing services pursuant to a contract,' and both the staffing agency and the worksite employer can be liable, the Inland Empire's most common claim structure. Name both. File with the Civil Rights Department within 3 years.
At 60 I'm pushed off Inland Empire routes for younger drivers, is that age discrimination?
Possibly. FEHA protects workers 40 and older (discrimination needs 5+ employees). A driver labeled a contractor may actually be a covered employee, and that classification is exactly what a consultation checks. Being replaced by much younger drivers can be evidence. File with the Civil Rights Department within 3 years; state-law damages are not subject to the federal Title VII cap schedule.