Civil Rights Terms and Definitions

Color Discrimination
Discrimination based on color occurs when individuals are treated less favorably than others who are similarly situated because of the color of their skin. This is a separately identifiable type of discrimination, which can also occur in conjunction with race discrimination.

Minority
The smaller part of a group. A group within a country or state that differs in race, religion or national origin from the dominant group.

Community Outreach Program
Community Outreach Program is a continuous public relations approach to the achievement of the agency’s civil rights policies and objectives. The objectives of community outreach include, but are not limited to: Establishing and maintaining good working relations with leaders of minority, women's, and disabled persons' organizations; community leaders; officials of schools, colleges and technical institutions and more.

Class Complaint/Class Action
A complaint articulated or filed by a group of people who feel that personnel or management policies or practices discriminate against them as a group. Members of the group believe that a characteristic they share -- race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability is the basis for the discrimination.

Disparate Treatment
Inconsistent application of rules and policies to an individual or one group of people over another. Discrimination may result when rules and policies are applied differently to members of protected classes. Disciplining Hispanic and Afro-American employees for tardiness, while ignoring tardiness among other employees, is an example of disparate treatment.

Underrepresention
Inadequately represented in the work force of a particular activity. This term is used to describe the extent to which women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are represented in particular grade levels and job categories.

Age Discrimination
Age discrimination is present if an individual covered under this provision is treated unfavorably in the terms and conditions of his/her employment because of his or her age. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) forbids discrimination based on age for those individuals who are 40 years of age or older.

Affirmative Action Plans/Affirmative Employment Plan
Written plans for programs required by Executive Order 11478 and other laws and regulations. AAP's may contain studies, which show how the work force at the activity has been used, and may include goals and timetables for increasing the representation of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in those areas where they have been underrepresented.

Affirmative Action
Positive steps taken by an employer to ensure equal employment opportunities for minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. In federal employment, extra effort must be made to include qualified women, minorities, and persons with disabilities at grade levels and in job categories where they are underrepresented.

Labor organization
Means a labor organization engaged in an industry affecting commerce, and any agent of such an organization, and includes any organization of any kind, any agency, or employee representation committee, group, association, or plan so engaged in which employees participate and which exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of dealing with employers concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages, rates of pay, hours, or other terms or conditions of employment, and any conference, general committee, joint or system board, or joint council so engaged which is subordinate to a national or international labor organization.