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The civil rights movement of the 1960s
brought to light the need for reform.
The world watched as peaceful
demonstrations,
led by Martin Luther King Jr.
and others,
to call attention to discrimination,
and its outcomes turned violent.
Police beat up and, in other
ways, abused demonstrators.
Seeing the abuse galvanized the nation,
forcing it to confront
the issue of discrimination.
Let's take a look at Title VII
of the Civil Rights Act.
Congress passed the Civil Rights Act
of 1964 to address the societal
and economic need for change.
The passage of the act sent the message
that the time had come to abolish
discrimination in employment
and other areas of society.
Title VII is part of the Civil Rights Act
that specifically addresses
employment discrimination.
Title VII prohibits employers
from discriminating against any individual
on the basis of that individual's race,
color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Employers with 15 or more employees,
including federal, state,
and local governments,
employment agencies, and labor
unions have to abide by this law.
Also, the law covers US citizens and legal
residents of the United States who are
working for US companies
in other countries.
Title VII states that it's against the law
for an employer to discriminate
with regard to selection, termination,
compensation, terms,
and promotion or transfer,
work assignment, and any other
activity related to employment.
As a manager, you need to make sure you're
aware of anti-discrimination laws
and that you treat all employees fairly.
Note that the law applies to employment
agencies, labor unions,
as well as private employers.
Remember that the law does permit the use
of religion, sex, and national origin as
BFOQs, but only when necessary
for the normal operations of a business.
As part of the Civil Rights Act,
Congress created the EEOC to provide
oversight of Title VII for all covered
entities except the federal government.
The EEOC has developed and continues
to develop regulations and guidelines
to help employers and employees interpret
Congress's intent of the Civil Rights Act.
It provides a very
informative website at www.eeoc.gov,
and numerous other resources
to answer questions managers have
about equal employment opportunity.
The EEOC is involved in interpreting
the meaning of the term discrimination,
determining how individuals can prove
that discrimination has occurred,
identifying what remedies are available
in the law,
and addressing how to reconcile seniority
rights of current employees when the
rights of victims of discrimination.
Congress amended the Civil Rights Act
in 1972 by passing
the Equal Employment Opportunity Act.
The amendment broadened coverage
of the Civil Rights Act to state and local
governments, as well as to public
and private educational institutions.
The act also gave the EEOC the right
to sue employers to enforce
the provisions of Title VII.
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