What aspect of employment law does "disparate treatment" specifically address?

Disparate treatment specifically addresses employment discrimination based on characteristics such as race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This legal concept arises when an individual is treated unfavorably in comparison to others in similar situations because of these protected characteristics. In essence, it involves intentional discrimination, where an employer's actions are motivated by biases against someone based on specific attributes.

For instance, if two employees with similar qualifications and job performance receive different treatment—such as being denied a promotion or subjected to harsher disciplinary actions—this may reflect disparate treatment if one of the employees belongs to a protected group and the other does not. Businesses are required to provide equal opportunity and fair treatment to all employees, making the understanding of disparate treatment crucial in ensuring compliance with anti-discrimination laws.

In contrast, workplace safety violations involve health and safety regulations in the workplace, employee evaluations pertain to performance assessment processes, and union-related disputes focus on issues between employers and labor unions. None of these directly concern the discriminatory practices defined by disparate treatment, which is why the focus on employment discrimination based on characteristics is the critical aspect highlighted in this context.