EEOC and Ill. Dept. of Human Rights

A reader asked what the EEOC and the "Human Rights Department" investigates.

It's always easy to google these, but these are good questions.

EEOC is the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Visit www.eeoc.gov The EEOC enforces federal employment discrimination laws. Rights against discrimination in places of employment include age, disability, equal pay, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, retaliation, sex, sexual harassment.

From the EEOC website:

"Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects individuals against employment discrimination on the basis of sex as well as race, color, national origin, and religion. Title VII applies to employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies and to labor organizations, as well as to the federal government.

"It is unlawful to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of his/her sex in regard to hiring, termination, promotion, compensation, job training, or any other term, condition, or privilege of employment. Title VII also prohibits employment decisions based on stereotypes and assumptions about abilities, traits, or the performance of individuals on the basis of sex. Title VII prohibits both intentional discrimination and neutral job policies that disproportionately exclude individuals on the basis of sex and that are not job related."

The Illinois Department of Human Rights (visit www.state.il.us/dhr/) "...administers the Illinois Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status (with regard to employment), familial status (with regard to real estate transactions), age, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, unfavorable military discharge, and sexual orientation."

For more information, go to each website.

If you know of cases involving illegal discrimination, please let me know. When you post a comment here, your UserID will appear. If you prefer to remain anonymous, email me directly and I'll ponder the wisdom of posting your comment under my own name.

If you have a complaint, you'll have to make it in your own name, but others and I will be happy to support you in doing so.