Austin Passes Civil Rights Ordinance To Protect Employees

Austin TX

02 December, 2021

4:32 PM

Description

AUSTIN, TX — Austin City Council has approved a Comprehensive Civil Rights Ordinance that grants enforcement authority to the city's Office of Civil Rights, in order to further protect Austinites from discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace. Some of the protections will include fair chance hiring, earned sick time and non-discrimination ordinances. Council Member Greg Casar also provided additional direction for the city to further expand civil rights protections against employment discrimination, including for hair style and texture. Live in Austin? Click here to subscribe to our free breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and download our free mobile app on Android or iPhone. "Today is another major step in protecting the civil and labor rights of all Austinites," said Austin City Council Member Greg Casar. "We have passed laws that create higher wages, safer workplaces, and expanded civil rights, and this ordinance will ensure that all those rules are enforced. "This vote sends a message to all Austinites: you deserve a safe workplace free from discrimination, and the Civil Rights Office is here to help." Austin has led the way in workplace and civil rights protections. Today's vote on Council item #30 codifies the legal and civil enforcement of our community's federal and local workplace and civil rights protections. pic.twitter.com/SKRxLunJnu— Mayor Adler | Get vaccinated! (@MayorAdler) December 2, 2021 Mayor Steve Adler said the approved ordinance marks a history civil-rights moment in Austin, which has "led the way in workplace and civil rights protections." "Today's vote codifies the legal and civil enforcement of our community's federal and local workplace and civil rights protections," Adler said. Reginald Smith, founder and chair of Building Promise USA, who advocated for Austin's Fair Chance Hiring Ordinance in 2016, said employers have been missing out on talented workers. He said Thursday's vote adds "teeth" to Austin's Fair Chance Hiring rules. The initial resolution for the creation of a Civil Rights Office was sponsored by Council Member Casar, and co-sponsored by Mayor Steve Adler, Council Member Ann Kitchen, and former Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza on June 28, 2018 (Item 62). Carol Johnson was hired as the City's first Civil Rights Officer in early 2021, officials said. For more information on how the city's office of Civil Rights helps Austinites, visit the city's website.