Skip to Main Content

Labor & Employment Law: Federal

EEOC

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the main go-federal agency for matters relating to employment discrimination. Their website contains information on the laws it's charged with enforcing, its agency-issued regulations, memoranda of understanding, and Q & A's.

The EEOC is charged with enforcing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which provides the foundation for federal employment discrimination law, but don't overlook other relevant statutes (some of which are listed below) in your research.

EEOC's Scope of Authority

While the EEOC is the main federal administrative agency charged with enforcing employment discrimination laws, it does not enforce every law. It is important to remember this distinction in your research. Below find a list of the laws that do fall under its domain:

Below is a list of the laws relevant to employment law that fall do not fall under its domain:

  •     The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA)
  •     The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA)
  •     Executive Order 11246
  •     Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
  •     Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA )
  •     Title III of the ADA
  •     The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
  •     The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA)
  •     Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act
  •     Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
  •     Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
  •     The Social Security Act
  •     The Fair Labor Standards Act
  •     National Labor Relations Act
  •     Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866
  •     Workers Compensation Law
  •     Title I of Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

For information on the agencies that do deal with the enforcement of these laws, visit this page.