Civil and Human Rights Coalition Condemns Efforts by Senators Manchin and Isakson to Roll Back Employment Discrimination Protections

WASHINGTON – Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement as Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) attempt to strip federal civil rights protections from employees working at veterans’ homes. The move by the two senators is expected to take place during the mark-up of a bill by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee this afternoon, when they will introduce an amendment stripping the jurisdiction of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs—which enforces civil rights employment law for federal contractors—from enforcing the law against companies operating homes for veterans: 

“This is a shameful attempt to erode 40 years of civil rights protections for employees of federal contractors.  Caring for our nation’s veterans is an honor, and companies who want that privilege have no place discriminating against women and minority workers. 

It may be 2015, but Senator Isakson and Senator Manchin want to re-litigate the civil rights debates of the 1970’s.  Our nation agreed long ago that employment discrimination has no place in American society and exempting veterans’ homes from these rules is just a sweetheart deal for influential federal contractors. 

Employment discrimination is wrong, without exception. Senator Manchin and Senator Isakson should know that by now.”

Nancy Zirkin is executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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