| What does the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) do?
The EEOC
defines its mission as “to promote equal opportunity
in employment through administrative and judicial
enforcement of the federal civil rights laws and through
education and technical assistance.”
The EEOC
interprets federal employment discrimination laws,
which prohibit employment discrimination based on
race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age,
or disability; and which prohibit retaliation for
opposing job discrimination, filing a charge, or
participating in proceedings under these laws.
How
do I determine if the equal employment opportunity
(EEO) laws cover a business of my size?
All employees,
including part-time and temporary workers, are counted
for purposes of determining the number of employees
in a business, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission. These laws are:
- Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination
based on race, color, religion, sex, or national
origin. Title VII applies to employers with 15 or
more employees.
- The
Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA),
which prohibits age discrimination against individuals
who are 40 years of age or older. The ADEA applies
to employers with 20 or more employees.
- Title
I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
(ADA) prohibits employment discrimination against
qualified
individuals with disabilities. The ADA applies to
employers with 15 or more employees.
- The Equal Pay
Act of 1963 (EPA) prohibits wage discrimination between
men and women in substantially equal jobs within
the
same establishment. The EPA applies to most employers
with one or more employees.
Although the existence
of an employment relationship is most easily shown
by a person’s appearance on the employer’s
payroll, this alone doesn’t necessarily answer
the question. Determining whether an employer has
enough employees to be covered by these laws is,
ultimately,
a legal issue. Call us to find out if your business
is meeting EEO standards and if your insurance is
protecting you the way it should. |
