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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO HOLD WORKSHOP ON WORKERS' RIGHTS

WASHINGTON, D.C.- In an effort to educate workers and community groups about the legal protections against immigration-related employment discrimination, the Justice Department's Office of Special Council for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC), along with the North Carolina Justice and Community Development Centers and other federal agencies and partners in the Raleigh/Durham area, will sponsor an informational workshop on Saturday, September 11, 1999.

The workshop will be held from 12:00 noon - 3:00 p.m. at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 810 West Chappel Hill Street, Olive Tree Building, Assembly Rooms B and C, Durham, North Carolina.

People with potential discrimination claims will hear from attorneys from OSC, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor about the rights and the remedies available to them under the law.

Since 1986, when it became illegal to knowingly hire undocumented workers, employers have been required to check employment eligibly of all new hires - citizens and non-citizens alike. However, in an effort to comply with this requirement, some employers go beyond what is required and single out individuals because of their accent, their appearance, their name or their citizenship status.

"This is an ongoing problem," said John Trasviña, Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices. "Not only do we obtain relief for victims of discrimination, but we also work hard to educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities under the law."

For more information about the workshop, please call Jena Matzen at the North Carolina Justice and Community Development Centers, at (919) 856-2183 or Jill Moschak with OSC at (800)255-7688 or (202) 514-2637.

For more information about protections against discrimination under the immigration laws, call toll-free, 1-800-7688, or (202) 616-5594 or write to:

Office of Special Counsel for Immigration

Related Unfair Employment Practices

Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice

Post Office Box 27728

Washington, D.C. 20038-7728

Email: osc.crt@usdoj.gov

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/osc

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