What laws address discrimination?

Federal and state civil rights laws protect employees and job applicants from discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, and age. Language discrimination and immigration status discrimination sometimes constitute unlawful national origin discrimination.

Most employers are covered by both federal and state anti-discrimination laws, but some very small employers are only covered by state (Ohio) law. The employment discrimination laws generally prohibit discrimination (on the prohibited grounds) in hiring, firing, promotions, demotions, wages or salaries, employee benefits, or any other terms or conditions of employment.

The best known federal employment discrimination laws are:

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (race, color, nation origin and sex discrimination),
  
• the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967,
  
• the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA),
  
• the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (disability discrimination by federal agencies or federally funded entities),
  
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (race, color or national origin discrimination by federal agencies or federally funded entities. programs), and
  
• the Equal Pay Act (sex discrimination in wages or salaries).