Tennessee Code Title 4. State Government § 4-21-401

(1) Fail or refuse to hire or discharge a person or otherwise to discriminate against an individual with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of such individual's race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, or national origin;  or

(2) Limit, segregate, or classify an employee or applicants for employment to deprive or tend to deprive an individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect the status of an employee, because of race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, or national origin.

(d)(1) An employer shall not terminate an employee who is a volunteer rescue squad worker, as defined in § 7-51-210, because the employee, when acting as a volunteer rescue squad worker, is absent or late to the employee's employment in order to respond to an emergency prior to the time the employee is to report to the employee's place of employment.

(2) Notwithstanding subdivision (d)(1), an employer may charge against the regular pay that an employee who is a volunteer rescue squad worker loses from employment because of the employee's response to an emergency.

(3) An employer may request an employee who loses time from the employee's employment to respond to an emergency to provide the employer with a written statement from the supervisor or acting supervisor of the volunteer rescue squad worker stating that the employee responded to an emergency and list the time and date of the emergency.

(4) An employee who is absent or late to the employee's employment in order to respond to an emergency must make a reasonable effort to notify the employee's employer that the employee may be absent or late.

(5) An employee terminated in violation of this section may bring a civil action against the employee's employer.  The employee may seek reinstatement to the employee's former position, payment of back wages, reinstatement of fringe benefits, and, where seniority rights are granted, the reinstatement of seniority rights.  The employee has one (1) year from the date the alleged violation of this section ceases to file an action.