"Discrimination" means treating certain people better or worse than others because of a certain. trait. Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation.This publication explains many of these laws and provides information about actions a person may take if they believe workplace discrimination has occurred. A charge of discrimination is a signed statement asserting that an employer, union or labor organization engaged in employment discrimination. In plain English, to discriminate means distinguishing, singling out, or making a distinction. We discriminate all the time in everyday life. Government discrimination can be found only when a law or policy has a discriminatory purpose rather than just a disproportionate effect on a protected group. (1949) Washington State Law Against Employment Discrimination. It requests EEOC to take remedial action. A school district should not evaluate student applicants in a way that makes a student's race his or her defining feature.