...------------------------------------------------- Research: Affirmative Action. Do you feel that affirmative action has a place in today's society? Do you support or oppose its role in today's politics and our lives? Why? Affirmative action is a term most Americans are familiar with, but a term that is not always well understood. To clarify, as defined in Politics in America by Thomas Dye, affirmative action is any government or private program designed to help offset the effects of “past unequal treatment of minorities and/or women by giving members of these groups preferential treatment in admissions, hiring, promotions, or other aspects of life” (Dye, 2009, p. 551). Over time, affirmative action has resulted in an array of policies or programs specifically designed with the intention to enhance employment and business opportunities, or educational programs for groups, such as ethnic or racial minorities, as well as women, who all, as a group, have suffered discrimination. However, the approach in which these policies or programs are employed, the forms of action they entail, and the far-reaching repercussions they convey for our society may deviate from one specific program to another. Since its founding, the belief in human equality has guided the American republic. Of the truths held to be self-evident in the Declaration of Independence, the very first and foremost is that “all men are created equal.” This certainty is deep-seated as we recognize intuitively the equality...
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...Women in the Workforce Ask yourself if the rights and equality of the women in the workforce has changed as much as it should have over the last eighty eight years and then ask why. The women were given the right to vote in August 1920 after years of protests, but even then it took another fifty years before all fifty states had it written into law and practiced. The Second World War provided another opportunity for women to crush the belief that they could not perform and maintain the work or work load of a man by doing their jobs. Even though they performed the work at a level equal, and sometimes more proficient than a man, the jobs were handed back over to the returning military men with only a fraction of change in making these jobs more available to women. Now knowing they could do a man’s job, bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan to support a family, was now know throughout the country and world. In the 1960’s another spark ignited the women cause for equality with the National Woman’s party and others in congress. The sixties on into the early seventies may be remembered as the era of Love and Peace, but I would have to say it was one of the most violent and productive times of the century. The addition of Sex Discrimination to the Civil Rights Bill at the last minute added another chapter in our history. Early in 1919 the House of Representatives passed the 19th amendment by a vote of 304 to 90, and the Senate approved it 56 to 25. Within the government when...
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...Coalitions and Punctuated Equilibrium in the Same-Sex Marriage Debate: Learning from Pro-LGBT Policy Changes in Minneapolis and Minnesota LAKE DZIENGEL St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota Policy change to actualize same-sex marriage requires planning and practices that can be most effective to advance marriage equality. This case study examines how building and maintaining strong coalitions aided in attainment and preservation of civil rights and protections for same-sex couples in Minnesota. As a historical policy analysis, it dissects collaborative strategies and events that led to a municipal domestic partner ordinance and state civil rights protections for sexual minorities in Minnesota during 1983–1995. Viewed through the lens of Advocacy Coalition Framework and Punctuated Equilibrium theory, findings support and highlight the importance of strategic planning of developing capable leaders, building strong coalitions, and capitalizing on events to garner public support and advance public policy toward civil rights protections and legal recognition for same-sex couples. KEYWORDS advocacy coalitions, punctuated equilibrium, policy, lesbian, gay, domestic partner benefits INTRODUCTION The city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, a large urban community, passed a Domestic Partner Ordinance in 1991 as the result of intensive lobby efforts by community organizers and private citizens and liaison building with the city government. The ordinance was repeatedly challenged...
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...I. Human resource professionals can ensure that top organizational leaders encourage managers and employees to follow laws and guidelines by the follow means: a. HR professionals can ensure top organizational leaders encourage managers and employees to follow laws and guidelines by focusing on the benefits of following laws and guidelines. Following laws and guidelines have been shown to increase profitability, improve productivity, increase motivation, save the organization money, and protect their reputation. b. HR professionals can do this by providing guidance for treating employees fairly. Managers and others involved in personnel decisions should be given training about how to comply with legal requirements such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title Seven. Managers and employees should ensure all employees have an equal chance to obtain employment and promotions regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, and sex (p. 79). Managers and employees should report actions that violate the law. Managers need to know that complying with Title Seven can save the organization money and prevent damaging the company’s reputation (p. 76). c. HR professionals can do this by ensuring disparate treatment does not occur. They can do this by making sure managers ensure consistent treatment for all employees. Managers and employees should be familiar with interview procedures. They should also know that a bona fide occupational qualification usually applies to gender...
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...an employee because of his or her sex. 2. Legal Definition - unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical of a sexual nature when - conditions are placed upon a person's career or terms of employment in return for sexual favors. or when promises of career advancement, promotions, and other benefits should the victim give in to the sexual advances. 2. Violation of both state and federal law; illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for employees:" prohibits employment discrimination based on race, sex, color, national origin or religion." WARNING SIGNS: 1. Inappropriate Behavior - Sexual comments or jokes, sexual phone calls, stories, looks/gestures. - Explicit videos, pictures, calendars, screen savers, websites. Unwelcome flirting, insisting on dates. 2. Behaviors Manager/ Coworkers - Hostility between coworkers. lack of friendship amongts coworkers. Complaints regarding the opposite sexes actions. - soldiers who act defensively/ angrily toward the opposite sex. - Avoided glances or murmurs made when the opposite sex walks past them. - Job loss if sexual advances are not met. 3. Inappropriate Physical Content - Purposeful touching or cornering. - Forceful neck massages. - Sexual intercourse with coworkers/supervisors. SEXUAL HARRASSMENT (NOT): 1. Appropriate Behaviors - Compliments pertaining to ones performance. - BeingCourtious, i.e...
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...Unit 5 Assignment Legal Infraction During Job Interview During a job interview, it is illegal to ask a question that relates to an applicant's race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, or disability. In some states, inquiries about a candidate's sexual orientation are illegal. It’s wise to only ask questions that relate to how well the individual can handle the position and if they have the skill set to add value to the company. The potential legal problems could possibly include violations of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1991, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991 (Arthur, 2012). Voss Lighting Company of Lincoln, Nebraska, advertised a position opening for an Operations Supervisor on a church website. According to www.vosslighting.com, their business mission is to provide premier lighting with courteous, dependable and knowledgeable service for the benefit of both our valued customers and our various vendors. Their biblical mission is to "sell" our lighting products so that we may "tell" everyone we can about God’s soul-saving, life-transforming gospel message as Jesus instructed believers to do. What led to the legal infraction for the company? During the second interview, applicant, Edward Wolfe, was asked to” identify every church he had attended over the last few years, when and where he had been 'saved', and the circumstances that led up to it” (www.dailykos.com). In no way, shape...
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...Onion has recently filed a lawsuit against our organization under the section Constructive Discharge of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law in this section pertaining to the claim submitted by employee is that the working condition in the company was intolerable in the form of humiliation, discrimination and harassment to an extent that forced him to resign from our organization. Mr. Red Onion quoted saying that he quit after the new policy came into existence that required him to work on 12-hours shift on any four days in week that can potentially conflict the days that is reserved to perform his religious duties. This change has made the working condition intolerable for the employee and was forced to submit his resignation from the organization. Further, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits any employment discrimination based on color, religion, sex, nationality and protected activity. The resultant of such discharge is ideally staff quitting their job and become eligible make claims against the company. Solely with respect to religion, Title VII upholds religious duties and practices that are both theistic and as well as non-theistic in nature - “moral or ethical beliefs as to what is right and wrong which are sincerely held with the strength of traditional religious views.” (eeoc.gov 2011). Title VII of Civil Rights Act also requires employers to accommodate request by staffs to practice their sincerely held religious beliefs and observances...
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...words, “The employer must measure the person for the job and not the person in abstract” (Griggs v. Duke Power Co., 2012). This case legitimized disparate impact theory which states if a job qualification or employment practice has an unequal impact on a specific group, it is only justifiable if the employer can prove it has a business related purpose. Organizations had to start looking at the effect of their employment practices and their relation to race. Griggs vs. Duke Power Co. was a precedent case and stood as “good law” until 1989 when the court decided that the burden was on the employee to prove an employer’s policy was not job related instead of placing the burden on the employer. This reversal was considered a setback to civil rights...
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...Hostile Work Environment It’s about the Discrimination Not “The Sex” Dale Vineyard March 15, 2013 Organizational Behavior Article Review Keith Buelow Hostile work environment, from a historical prospective, has derived from a sexual harassment paradigm and theory of discrimination has tended to be viewed as linked to sexual conduct. The passage of Title VII of the Civil rights act has brought a struggle for courts to establish the framework to conceptualize and recognize the claims of sex discrimination. Hostile work environment has been rooted from the assumption that sexual harassment derives from desire or dominance. Title VII interprets hostile work environment as the presence of overt sexual conduct to demonstrate that an individual’s working conditions have been discriminatorily altered so as to create a hostile environment. These events have brought a broad contextual paradigm, which reflects a greater willingness by the courts to view the evidence offered in support of hostile work environments, without disaggregating evidence into artificially-constructed categories of sexual and non-sexual conduct. A broader contextual approach has brought an arising exclusive approach to hostile work environment, and as result of exposing an individual to severe or pervasive conduct of a sexual nature. This gives the courts an opportunity to acknowledge the ways in which discrimination because...
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...Sexual Harassment Burlington Industries, Inc. V Ellerth Sexual Harassment is a crippling realty in any workplace. Since sexual harassment is considered a problematic issues in today’s realty, the effect of the outcome can be very devastating to any organization, individuals who the victim or the accuser, which is why any harassment situation should be reported, so that others would learn and be aware of violating violates TITLE VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In fact, sexual harassment is not necessary about sex but rather more of power. “In the hands of the wrong person, power can be dangerous. That's especially the case in the workplace, where the abuse of power can lead to sexual harassment” (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070403184604.htm) empowerment can mean anything however in a workforce environment it can either have a positive side or a dark side which that is very common in today’s realty. In any organization there are individuals who use empowerment to inspire and there are others who uses as an advantaged on their behalf. What is sexual Harassment? “is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature such that submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment." (http://www.allisontaylor...
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...Civil Rights Act of 1964 Michael Cain ELA2603 - Administrative and Personnel Law Professor Zara Sette August 17, 2012 Abstract The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the nation's benchmark civil rights legislation, and it continues to resonate in America. The basic tenants of this legislation prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin and other protected classes as amended. Passage of the Act ended the application of "Jim Crow" laws, which had been upheld by the Supreme Court in the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson, in which the Court held that racial segregation purported to be "separate but equal" was constitutional. The Civil Rights Act was eventually expanded by Congress to strengthen enforcement of these fundamental civil rights (United States Senate - Committee of the Judiciary). In the 1960s, Americans who knew only the potential of "equal protection of the laws" expected the nations political leaders and the courts to fulfill the promise and guarantee of the 14th Amendment. In response, all three branches of the federal government, as well as the public at large, debated a fundamental constitutional question: Does the Constitution's prohibition of denying equal protection always ban the use of racial, ethnic, or gender criteria in an attempt to bring social justice and social benefits (National Archives, 2012)? The simple answer is no. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 In 1964 Congress passed Public Law 88-352 (78 Stat. 241). The...
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...Legal Encounter Two In this legal encounter, Sam displayed unwelcome behaviors toward Paula, after she ended his and her relationship. Paula has asked Sam to stop the unwelcome behavior, but Sam continued. Sam’s behavior could be considered as sexual harassment that can expose NewCorp Company to a sexual harassment lawsuit. According to the Civil Rights Act of 1994 prohibits job discrimination determine by gender. The Civil Rights Act improves the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rules, and court decisions prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender, and pregnancy. Also sexual harassment is prohibited. In this case, Sam stops Paula’s transfer, stating that working in the wire-coating department could harm Paula if she became pregnant. If Paula was already pregnant at the time of requesting her transfer, the opposition to the transfer could be legitimate on the basis of the bona fide occupational qualification, assuming working in the wire-coating department could be hazardous to Paula fetus and may cause birth defect to her infant. To be legal a bona fide occupational qualification must be job related and business necessity. Although Paula is not expecting a baby at this time, therefore NewCorp Company could use bona fide occupational qualification to justify the opposition to her transfer. Paula may believe that Sam’s decision to prevent her transfer is wrongfully exercising his authority and seeking retaliation against her...
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...Women and Minorities Obtaining Executive Positions Doreatha Stokes AIU Online Instructor: Dr. Sharon Felton Unit 3 Individual Project/Argument Draft Abstract This thesis first draft will detail an argumentative pattern of development to include the thesis claim, supporting reasons and evidence regarding the idea that women and minorities have the ability to obtain an executive position if they strive to succeed. This paper will demonstrate the use of formal tone and style, while avoiding any personal pronouns of why women should not allow negative influences to deter them from reaching their highest levels of perfection. This paper will display cited and researched information regarding the need for women and minorities to continue to hone in on their strong points, and the need to continue to pursue their strengths while helping to make a change in the way society views them in the work force. Recognizing the very thought that some organizations do not support or guarantee that there would not be some form of bias or bigotry, this paper will display alternatives to insure more effective way to control this very issue. Statistics will provide conformation that no one should allow negative influence to stop them from reaching their goals as an executives. Thesis It is commonly known that in today’s society women are viewed as homemakers, and caregivers. When encouraging women to stay in the workplace it can seem as family unfriendly, says Lynn Utter, (2006) chief...
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...robbed them of the rights granted by the 14th and 15th Amendments. Under the "separate but equal" doctrine of the Supreme Court's 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision, black citizens were denied the right to vote, to attend white schools, to be buried in white cemeteries, etc. Those who objected were liable to be lynched. The era of Jim Crow provoked men such as, Charles Houston to fight back for those who were unable. Charles Hamilton Houston, "the man who killed Jim Crow”, grew up during the Jim Crow Era and devoted his entire life trying to destroy it. Houston came from a privileged background in regards to blacks. He finished top of his class in high school preparing him for a prosperous college career. Unfortunately, before Houston had the chance to attend college, he served in a segregated regiment during World War I. During this time Houston wrote about the hate he constantly faced from his fellow countrymen due to his race and promised himself he would study law to fix the lack of justice, changing the situation for his people. In 1920, he entered Harvard law school where he became the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review. Later, Houston would become dean of Howard University Law School and chief counsel to the NAACP. He also presented a number of supporting cases leading up to Brown v. Board of Education. Houston strategically targeted segregated education as the key to undermining the entire Jim Crow system because he could relate it to the rights granted by the...
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...1960’s Significant Events That Shaped an Era DJC958 Kaplan University – SS310 – 01 October 22, 2013 1960’s Significant Events That Shaped an Era Good day! I’m very excited you have opened this time capsule. Inside you will find a treasure of items that shaped the era of the 1960’s. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Debbie Crabtree and the current year is 2013. The 1960’s was an era of awakening and change but it was also an era of reckoning. Many events happened in the 1960’s that stimulated personal awareness and growth as well as growth as a nation from the music to art to politics to civil rights. I could go on and on but I am including in this time capsule the major events that I feel best portray the era of the 1960’s. The first event is the lunch counter sit-in at Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina. I have included an original newspaper from the Greensboro Record. This event happened early in the decade, February 1, 1960. On this day four young African American men, freshman at the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina, entered the Greensboro Woolworth’s. Woolworth’s sold items to both African American and white customers but they also had a segregated lunch counter for whites only. Each of the four men purchased a few small items, kept their receipts and proceeded to sit down at the lunch counter designated for whites only. They requested service and were denied. The men pulled out their receipts and asked why their...
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