Proceedings of the 1999 Annual Meeting, Association of American Law Schools Section on Employment Discrimination Law: Is There a Disconnect between EEO Law and the Workplace?

Abstract

(The following is an edited transcript of the proceedings of the section on Employment Discrimination Law at the AALS Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 9, 1999.) DOUGLAS D. SCHERER*: Good morning. The program description asks the question, Is there a disconnect between existing EEO jurisprudence and the realities of the workplace and workforce of the Twenty-First Century? Societal disapproval of employment discrimination is reflected in federal EEO laws that have been enacted during the last thirty-six years and in court interpretations of these laws. The goals of these laws are fairly clear. It is less clear how well these goals have been achieved. Of more importance for this morning\u27s session, serious questions can be raised concerning the extent to which these laws connect to the forms of discrimination that are emerging and that are becoming visible as the workforce and workplace change. These issues will be addressed this morning by our superb panel of speakers