Staff Reports - East Bay Municipal Utility District

Glossary (continued)
Availability: The number of women and minorities in the relevant labor market (i.e., state or
county), including those already employed by the organization, who possess the requisite skills for
a particular group of jobs (usually expressed as a percentage).
Disability: A physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities; record of
such impairment, or perception by others of such impairment.
Discrimination: Illegal treatment, either intentional or unintentional, having adverse effects on
the employment of a person or group based on gender identity or expression, race, color, religious
creed, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability (including AIDS and HIV),
medical condition (cancer), genetic information, marital or domestic partnership status, sexual
orientation, veterans, pregnancy, family or medical leave status, or any other status protected by
state and federal laws.
Disparate Treatment: A form of discrimination that occurs when an individual is treated
differently and adversely affected because of his/her protected group status.
Employment Process: Under Title VII, the employment process includes recruitment, applicant
flow, job placement, compensation, promotion, transfer, termination, shift assignments,
geographical and departmental assignments, and all other activities.
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO): Administering all terms and conditions of employment
without regard to gender identity or expression, race, color, religious creed, national origin,
ancestry, age, physical or mental disability (including AIDS and HIV), medical condition (cancer),
genetic information, marital or domestic partnership status, sexual orientation, veterans,
pregnancy, family or medical leave status, or any other status protected by state and federal laws.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): The federal agency created as a part of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which is responsible for enforcement of Title VII of that law, as well
as the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and the
Americans with Disabilities Act.
Goals: A placement goal is established by an employer in response to identified underutilization
of minorities or women in certain job categories. Placement goals are also to measure progress
toward achieving equal employment opportunity. The employer agrees to make good faith efforts
to achieve the goals. As part of an employer’s Affirmative Action Program, goals must be
expressed in both numbers and percentages.
Good Faith Efforts: A term used by federal compliance agencies to describe proactive activities
in the employer’s Affirmative Action Plan that assists progress towards meeting the AA goals.
Harassment: Any verbal, visual or physical conduct, which creates an intimidating, hostile, or
offensive work environment for an individual due to his/her gender identity or expression, race,
color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability (including AIDS
and HIV), medical condition (cancer), genetic information, marital or domestic partnership status,
sexual orientation, veterans, pregnancy, family or medical leave status, or any other status
protected by state and federal laws.
Hispanic: All persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South America, or other
Spanish cultures or origins. (Persons of Portuguese culture or origin are not included.)
Affirmative Action & Equal Employment Opportunity
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