National Origin Discrimination: Workplace Issues & Civil Rights Protections for Immigrant and Refugee Workers
Hosted on April 29, 2021, this training was delivered by Rishan Habte, Program Manager for Economic Empowerment, Switchboard; Liza Zamd, Senior Trial Attorney, Department of Justice Immigrant and Employee Rights Section; and Maria E. Flores, Program Manager, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
This is an opportunity to hear directly from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency responsible for enforcing federal laws that prohibit employment discrimination. EEOC laws cover most employers with at least 15 employees, most labor unions, and most employment agencies. The EEOC also works to prevent discrimination before it occurs through outreach, education, and technical assistance programs.
This webinar brought to life the unique employment issues faced by immigrant/refugee workers by weaving together statistics; real case stories; information on federal anti-discrimination laws; and the EEOC’s role. Participants gained a heightened awareness on select race and national origin issues including workplace harassment; illegal speak-English-only rules and no-accent requirements; appearance discrimination; religious discrimination and accommodation; and labor (human) trafficking. Learn about employer responsibilities, how to educate employers and clients, how to file employment discrimination charges, and worker protections from retaliation.
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:
- List types of discrimination that are covered by the law;
- Identify workplace discrimination;
- Name strategies for educating employers and clients to identify and prevent discrimination;
- Describe how a client can file a charge if they feel they have been discriminated against; and
- Describe the difference between the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section.