The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces six statutes prohibiting discrimination in employment. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. The Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended, prohibits the payment of different wages to women and men working in the same establishment, performing equal work that requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility under similar working conditions, unless the pay differential is based on factor(s) other than sex. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended (ADEA), prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of age against people age 40 and older. Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (ADA), prohibits employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities. Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, prohibit Federal agencies from discriminating in employment against qualified individuals with disabilities and require agencies to accommodate the special needs of persons with disabilities. The Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 extends protections against employment discrimination to certain employees who were not previously covered.
The mission of the Agency is to ensure equality of opportunity by vigorously enforcing Federal legislation prohibiting discrimination in employment. Enforcement is accomplished through investigation, conciliation, alternative methods of dispute resolution, litigation, coordination, and regulation, as well as by education, policy research, and technical assistance. In pursuing its mission of eradicating discrimination in the workplace, the Commission intends that its enforcement be certain and predictable and that its remedies be preventive and remedial in scope.
One important step toward these ends is to make sure that employees, employers, and union representatives understand their rights and obligations under the Federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. In accordance with the President's national regulatory principles, EEOC develops regulations necessary to inform employees and employers of their rights and obligations under the statutes it enforces. EEOC further educates the public on an ongoing and proactive basis through interpretive guidelines, policy documents, management directives, and other public guidance programs.
EEOC is currently considering one significant action of a regulatory nature, which has been published for public comment.
The Commission proposes to amend 29 CFR part 1614 to change the Federal sector complaint process. The proposed changes are designed to correct the perception of unfairness or inefficiency in the Federal sector complaint process. In addition, the proposed changes accomplish the National Performance Review goals of removing unnecessary layers of review and delegating decisionmaking authority to front-line employees.
(Consistent with section 4(c) of Executive Order 12866, this statement was reviewed and approved by the Chairman of the Agency. The statement has not been reviewed or approved by the other members of the Commission.)