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II: Civic Participation and Equality <br />l`a <br />Chapter 11: Civic Participation and Equality <br />~ Employment Discrimination <br />Acts of discrimination and hatred are daily occurrences in the lives of American women, particularly women <br />of color, immigrants, poor and disabled women, aging women and lesbian, bisexual and transgender women. <br />According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), <br />discrimination iri employment based on gender and pregnancy are, <br />becoming more prevalent rather than less. In addition, there is a <br />substantial increase in the number of complaints filed under the Equal <br />Pay Act and because of sexual harassment. Women still experience <br />problems with the glass ceiling and are still paid only 75 cents on the <br />dollar for equal work with their male counterparts. . <br />County and municipal governments should promote equal treatment of all individuals by improving <br />complainants and respondents access to the administrative process for employment discrimination related <br />complaints; increasing opportunities for mediation of claims; providing parties with a faster, less expensive <br />and more effective resolution to complaints; and providing more technical assistance ;to businesses, employers, <br />and housing providers to prevent discriminatory practices through educational workshops and seminars. Local <br />ordinances should protect all people from being discriminated against because of their race, color, sex, <br />religion, national origin, familial status, age, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, and gender <br />identity/expression. Counties and municipal governments should offer remedies available under existing state <br />and federal law; a jury or a court cannot award punitive damages unless they can be awarded under existing <br />federal or state law: <br />Recent litigation has curtailed enforcement efforts of localities seeking to <br />enforce antidiscrimination ordinances. This estoppel has created backlogs <br />of employment discrimination complaints and inadequate resolutions of <br />other complaints. ' <br />Currently, state and federal law offer no protection against discrimination <br />based on sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. In 2005, House <br />Bill 1203, State Government Equal Employment Opportunity, sought to <br />-- -- amend the State Personnel Act to ensure that state and local government <br />employees could work free from fear of discrimination. This legislation should be reintroduced and passed, <br />along with broader legislation <br />barring discrimination by private employers. <br />RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION... <br />General Assembly should support Anti-Discrimination Ordinances legislation. This bill gives county and <br />municipal governments with populations of 100,000 or more, clear authority to adopt ordinances that <br />prevent discrimination in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations and gives <br />residents a private right of action. <br />General Assembly should pass legislation guaranteeing that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people <br />are free to work free from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression in <br />both public and private employment. <br />2006-2007 Women's Draft Agenda <br />