Federal and state law prohibit New Mexico employers from discriminating against employees based on certain characteristics, such as race or religion. (To learn more, see our page on employment discrimination and harassment.)
In all 50 states, federal law makes it illegal to discriminate based on:
In addition, New Mexico state law also prohibits discrimination based on:
Under federal law, companies with 15 or more employees are covered by Title VII, the primary law prohibiting employment discrimination, the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which prohibits discrimination based on genetic information.
Companies with 20 or more employees are subject to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the federal law that prohibits discrimination against employees 40 years or older.
Employers with four or more employees must comply with the employment discrimination provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of citizenship status. And all companies of any size must pay men and women equally for doing equal work, by virtue of the Equal Pay Act.
In New Mexico, companies with four or more employees are generally subject to the state's antidiscrimination laws. Note that for marital status to be a protected category, your employer must have at least 50 employees.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the federal agency that regulates workplace discrimination. You can contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by calling 800-669-4000 or check out its website at www.eeoc.gov. The website will help you locate an EEOC field office in New Mexico.
The Human Rights Division enforces state antidiscrimination law in New Mexico. You can contact the Human Rights Division at 505-827-6838 or 800-566-9471 or go to its website.