Employment laws are developed to protect the rights of employers and employees, and in many cases, more equally distribute the balance of power in the employer - employee relationship. As regulations are violated and tested, many evolve to ensure similar future violations are avoided. This paper will define and explain the role of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) as well as examine regulations intended to eliminate workplace discrimination. In addition, I will discuss Disparate Impact and Disparate treatment as terms associated with claims of discrimination.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The EEOC is the government agency that provides regulatory oversight of federal employment laws for private sector businesses, and in some cases local, state, and federal government agencies. In the perfect working environment instances of discrimination would not exist. Unfortunately, whether intentional or not, these common sense rights are often violated. This is where the duties of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) come into play.
Sonny Cornelius, official portrait from .
English: William H. Brown, chairman of EEOC
John H Powell Jr, chairman of EEOCThe EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting job discrimination.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 "prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin" (EEOC, A, 2004). This ensures equally qualified candidates are afforded similar consideration without regard to any of these factors. Claims that equally qualified men and women of all races and national origin cannot perform similar roles in the workplace have been proven to be without merit in several costly cases brought against employers.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Individuals are protected from employment discrimination, based on Titles I and V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). According to the United States Department of Labor, the American with Disabilities Act passed July 26, 1990, "prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, transportation,