The
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was established by Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 to assist in the protection of US employees from discrimination. The law was the first federal law designed to protect most US employees from employment discrimination based upon that employee's (or applicant's) race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (Public Law 88-352, July 2, 1964, 78 Stat. 253, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000e et. seq.). Employment discrimination entails areas such as firing, hiring, promotions, transfer or wage practices and it is also illegal to discriminate in advertising, referral of job applicants, or classification. The Title is pertinent in companies affecting commerce that have twenty-five or more employees. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is section 705 of the title.