The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will prioritize national origin discrimination claims against employers that illegally prefer non-American workers, EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas announced February 19.
EEOC’s new focus is on American workers who are victims of national origin discrimination. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on national origin.
The agency’s definition of “American” workers is unclear. However, the initiative follows a recent $1.4 million settlement that the EEOC reached on the U.S. territory of Guam with a resort that allegedly gave more favorable employment terms and conditions to employees from Japan than it did to non-Japanese employees (some of American national origin).
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit membership association, can read more here.