NEW FACT SHEETS OUTLINE PROTECTIONS AGAINST DISCRIMINATION BY MULTINATIONAL EMPLOYERS

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) tomorrow will post two new fact sheets - "Employee Rights when Working for Multinational Employers" and "The Equal Employment Opportunity Responsibilities of Multinational Employers" - on the agency's web site. Both publications may be accessed at www.eeoc.gov.

The globalization of business continues to increase the presence of United States companies in foreign countries, as well as the number of multinational companies establishing operations within the U.S. and its territories. These fact sheets address common questions about how laws enforced by the EEOC apply to U.S. workers on international assignments and to all employees working in the U.S. for multinational companies. They include details about prohibited practices, practical examples for compliance, and information about how to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC.

The number of American citizens living and working abroad continues to increase, with unofficial estimates ranging from one to four million people. As this trend grows, the U.S. Census Bureau has announced plans to conduct test censuses of Americans living in Kuwait, France and Mexico in 2004, with an eye toward counting the number of Americans residing worldwide for the 2010 Census.

The EEOC enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; the Equal Pay Act; Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits employment discrimination against people with disabilities in the private sector and state and local governments; prohibitions against disability discrimination in the federal government; and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.