Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

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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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