Los Angeles Employment Lawyer

What is the EEOC?

The EEOC, or the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, was established by Title VII in the Civil Rights Act, and its primary responsibility is to investigate possible occurrences of discrimination in the workplace. When an individual (or group of individuals) accuse a company or employer of employment discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission often works with and supports the plaintiff to investigate the discrimination accusation.

Establishment of the EEOC

The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission began investigating instances of workplace discrimination roughly a year later. While many individuals assumed that there would be a few thousand discrimination complaints, no one was prepared for the incredible volume of work the EEOC was handed in their first year of existence.

The first workers of the EEOC received 8,000 charges of employment discrimination in this first year, alone. While the commission focused primarily on defining parameters of equal employment and defining employment discrimination in its initial years. By the 1970s, the EEOC was working hard to prosecute companies and individuals charged with discrimination and to develop clear enforcement policies.

In Recent Years

The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission continues to be a powerful force for equal employment rights and change in the United States. In the early 90s, the works of the EEOC directly led to the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act—a significant and powerful piece of legislation ensuring employment rights for individuals with physical and mental disabilities.

Unfortunately, even with the incredible efforts of groups like the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, employment discrimination exists widely in the United States.

Speak with a Los Angeles Discrimination Attorney

If you have been the victim of any type of workplace discrimination, contact Los Angeles discrimination attorney Perry Smith today at 888-356-2529 to discuss your legal rights and options.