By Siobhan McDonough
Associated Press
Dec. 4, 2002
WASHINGTON - Discrimination complaints based on national origin have risen 20
percent over the past eight years, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
said.
The agency attributed the rise to a backlash against Muslims and Middle Easterners
after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, increasing numbers of immigrants in the labor
force and other population changes.
"Most people think about race and gender discrimination. National origin discrimination doesn't come to mind, but it's having a greater impact on the workplace," EEOC spokesman David Grinberg said Tuesday after the agency announced revised guidelines on the issue.
The Sept. 11 backlash has also caused problems for Sikhs, Asians and Arabs. From Sept. 11, 2001, to November 2002, 688 charges have been filed alleging backlash discrimination.
The EEOC has filed three lawsuits against employers based on Sept. 11 backlash.
EEOC officials said the number of national origin bias charges likely represent the tip of the iceberg - that discrimination may go unreported because many fear retaliation or don't know the law.
Eleven percent, or 9,052, of the roughly 84,000 total charges filed to the EEOC during the fiscal year that ended Oct. 1 allege national origin discrimination. That's up roughly 20 percent from 1994, when 7,414, or 8 percent, of total cases filed dealt with national origin bias.
Written in plain language, the revised guidelines aim to educate employers about their responsibilities and employees about their rights. Legal standards haven't changed.
"EEO laws, as interpreted by the courts, have become extremely convoluted
and difficult to understand," said Randy Johnson, vice president for labor
policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "We've always believed if the government's
going to impose obligations on employers, it ought to spend some money on explaining
what they are in plain English."
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