Racial Bias in the Workplace
Racial bias is something that many people still come across in their daily lives. One of the worst kinds of racial bias comes in the form of employment discrimination. However, the good news is that federal law forbids racial bias in the workplace.
The Civil Rights Act was passed by Congress in 1964, and it prohibits any racial bias in the workplace. Employers are not allowed to discriminate when recruiting, hiring, or promoting employees. Also, the Civil Rights Act bans any racial harassment or creating a hostile work environment.
The Civil Rights Act is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). In 2007, the EEOC received over 30,000 complaints concerning racial bias. After an initial inquiry, it proceeded with investigations in roughly half of the complaints. The EEOC resolved about 10,000 of these claims in 2007, recovering over $67 million in monetary benefits through mediation and settlements. This does not include monetary benefits from lawsuits filed either by the EEOC or by the employee against the employer.
In addition to the federal Civil Rights Act, many states have passed anti-discrimination laws. State laws vary, and each state has its own enforcement procedures. Information on these racial bias and employment laws can usually be found online.
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Last Modified: 06-25-2009 11:50 AM PDT