Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chair Andrea Lucas is emphasizing that federal anti-discrimination laws apply to labor unions and apprenticeship programs as part of the agency’s broader effort to encourage workers to report alleged discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, sex and other protected characteristics.
In a recent social media post, Lucas responded to an IBEW apprentice who alleged that members of his class were told they were the “wrong minority group” for available jobs. Lucas wrote that the EEOC’s authority extends to unions and apprenticeship programs, adding, “If your union, training program, apprenticeship, or employment has treated you differently due to your race, national origin, sex, etc., you may have a claim under federal civil rights law.”