Equal Employment Oppurtunity and Employee Rights
Equal Employment Opportunity of 1972 The Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 is an amended title of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “Title VII prohibits discrimination in hiring, compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment based on race, religion, color, sex, or national origin” of companies with “15 or more employees or members” (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2007). This title also forbids a company or organization to retaliate against an employee for making accusations of discrimination. The Civil Rights Act was amended in 1972 because it “left much to interpretation” (DeCenzo, 2007). This is when the “Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)” was formed and given the power to investigate and file civil suits if the company or organization is found guilty of discriminative acts. The newly amended Title VII was not limited to privately owned companies or organizations but it also prohibits discrimination within “state and local governments” and “educational institutions” (DeCenzo, 2007, p. 61).
Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 Not only are people discriminated against because of their “race, religion, color, sex, or national origin” but women are also victims of discrimination due to pregnancy. This may be because employers do not want to be responsible for not only the employee’s safety but the safety of their unborn child as well. It could also be because they know that the employee will be leaving the company or organization for the allowed maturity leave. During this leave, the company will have to find a temporary employee to fulfill the employee’s position while on maturity leave. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 prevents this from happening. Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 “an employer cannot refuse to hire a pregnant woman because of her pregnancy, because of a pregnancy-related condition, or because of the prejudices of co-workers, clients, or customers” (The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 Not only are people discriminated against because of their “race, religion, color, sex, or national origin” but women are also victims of discrimination due to pregnancy. This may be because employers do not want to be responsible for not only the employee’s safety but the safety of their unborn child as well. It could also be because they know that the employee will be leaving the company or organization for the allowed maturity leave. During this leave, the company will have to find a temporary employee to fulfill the employee’s position while on maturity leave. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 prevents this from happening. Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 “an employer cannot refuse to hire a pregnant woman because of her pregnancy, because of a pregnancy-related condition, or because of the prejudices of co-workers, clients, or customers” (The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
References: DeCenzo, D. & Robbins, S. (2007), Fundamentals of human resource management (9th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2008). Facts About Pregnancy Discrimination. Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-preg.html. Greenwald, J. (2012). Pregnancy discrimination act violated . Retrieved from http://www.workforce.com Homquist, J. (2013). Whistle blowing in Michigan. Retrieved from http://www.michiganemploymentlawconnection.com Reuters, T. (2013). Find law. Retrieved from http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com Kinross Gold, USA. (2012). Employee guidebook. HR Specialist. (2007). Pregnancy and maternity leave: a legal guide and sample policy. Taken from http://www.thehrspecialist.com/article.aspx?articleid=5472