Michigan Civil Rights Glossary

Michigan Civil Rights Glossary

Affirmative action – Within employment law, actions to get rid of discrimination within the place of employment are implemented during the hiring, promotions, recruiting, and other work-related processes.

Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) – The ADEA, also known as the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, is a federal law that does not allow employment discrimination based on age.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – ADA, also referred to as the Americans with Disabilities Act, is the federal law that prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of someone’s disability.

Discrimination – This term refers to the adverse acts projected upon someone based on their religion, color, sex, race, and/or ethnicity.

Equal employment opportunity – A system that was established to ensure that workers are not excluded from opportunities based on things such as, race, religion, national origin, age, sex, color or other unlawful grounds. This system is held up by affirmative action.

Equal Pay Act (EPA) – The EPA – also known as the Equal Pay Act – makes it illegal to pay women and men differently for the same job when they have similar qualifications.

Good faith effort – The efforts made by an employer to guarantee that all aspects of the affirmative action system are apparent

Non-discrimination – The absence of obvious acts meant for discrimination

Protected classes – This pertains to all minorities who have been a victim of discrimination in the workplace. Title VII protects against any form of discrimination based on gender, race, religion, color or national origin. Individuals over the age of 40, disabled people and Vietnam veterans are also considered protected classes under separate regulations.

Whistleblower – Any worker who has reported a violation against a fellow co-worker or their employer is known as a whistleblower. Whistleblowers are protected by law in order to protect against any type of retaliation from their employer or co-workers.