Fair Employment Practices Commission

The Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC) had an interesting creation. It began as the idea of President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941 as part of an Executive Order. Even though it was not passed by Congress, the overall ideas were reflected in many of the hiring practices during World War II. In 1948, President Truman again tried to get the legislation passed, he too was denied by an unfavorable Congress.

The goal of the Fair Employment Practices Commission was to protect minorities, specifically African-Americans, from discrimination in the workplace, especially in domestic industries. It required any company with a government contract to cease discrimination in hiring employees based on race or religion. This idea came before the Civil Rights Act of the 1960s and many of the other related pieces of legislation had been passed.

Roosevelt’s original vision for the FEPC is still seen today, since a handful of states (New York, Massachusetts, and Washington, among others) have passed their own FEPC bill into law. These states have had the FEPC oversight, in addition to the Civil Rights Act and other federal legislation, to help guard against discrimination in the workplace.

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If you or someone you know has been discriminated against in the workplace, it is extremely important to keep companies accountable for their illegal practices. Legal action may be the right course for you to take in order to obtain the reparations that you may deserve. For more information, contact the Austin labor attorneys of The Melton Law Firm at (512) 330-0017 for a free consultation.