Executive Order 11246
Encyclopedia
Executive Order 11246, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson
on September 24, 1965 required Equal Employment Opportunity. The Order "prohibits federal contractors and federally assisted construction contractors and subcontractors, who do over $10,000 in Government business in one year from discriminating in employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin." Contractors are also required to "take affirmative action
to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex or national origin."
The order was a follow-up to Executive Order 10479
signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
on August 13, 1953 establishing the anti-discrimination Committee on Government Contracts, which itself was based on a similar Executive Order (EO 8802) written by FDR in 1941. Eisenhower's Executive Order has been amended and updated by at least six subsequent Executive Orders.
The term Equal Opportunity Employment
originated here.
The Executive Order also required contractors with 50 or more employees and contracts of $50,000 or more to implement affirmative action plans to increase the participation of minorities and women in the workplace if a workforce analysis demonstrates their underrepresentation. Underrepresentation is defined as there being fewer minorities and women than would be expected, given the statistics of the area from which the workforce is drawn (and not from those necessarily qualified). The statistics used are those minorities and women qualified to hold the positions available, not all minorities or women in a given geographical area. Pursuant to federal regulations, affirmative action plans must consist of an equal opportunity policy statement, an analysis of the current work force, identification of underrepresented areas, the establishment of reasonable, flexible goals and timetables for increasing employment opportunities, specific action-oriented programs to address problem areas, support for community action programs, and the establishment of an internal audit and reporting system.
Through this executive order, President Lyndon B. Johnson gave the responsibility of enforcing parts of the non-discrimination in contracts with private industry over to the Department of Labor.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
on September 24, 1965 required Equal Employment Opportunity. The Order "prohibits federal contractors and federally assisted construction contractors and subcontractors, who do over $10,000 in Government business in one year from discriminating in employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin." Contractors are also required to "take affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex or national origin."
The order was a follow-up to Executive Order 10479
Executive Order 10479
Executive Order 10479 was a presidential order signed by President Dwight Eisenhower on August 13, 1953 that created the Government Contract Committee. The committee was established to help insure compliance with, and successful execution of, the equal employment opportunity program of the United...
signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
on August 13, 1953 establishing the anti-discrimination Committee on Government Contracts, which itself was based on a similar Executive Order (EO 8802) written by FDR in 1941. Eisenhower's Executive Order has been amended and updated by at least six subsequent Executive Orders.
The term Equal Opportunity Employment
Equal Opportunity Employment
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the first federal law designed to protect most U.S. employees from employment discrimination based upon that employee's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin . The Title also established the U.S...
originated here.
The Executive Order also required contractors with 50 or more employees and contracts of $50,000 or more to implement affirmative action plans to increase the participation of minorities and women in the workplace if a workforce analysis demonstrates their underrepresentation. Underrepresentation is defined as there being fewer minorities and women than would be expected, given the statistics of the area from which the workforce is drawn (and not from those necessarily qualified). The statistics used are those minorities and women qualified to hold the positions available, not all minorities or women in a given geographical area. Pursuant to federal regulations, affirmative action plans must consist of an equal opportunity policy statement, an analysis of the current work force, identification of underrepresented areas, the establishment of reasonable, flexible goals and timetables for increasing employment opportunities, specific action-oriented programs to address problem areas, support for community action programs, and the establishment of an internal audit and reporting system.
Through this executive order, President Lyndon B. Johnson gave the responsibility of enforcing parts of the non-discrimination in contracts with private industry over to the Department of Labor.
External links
- Executive Order 11246 from the U.S. National Archives and Records AdministrationNational Archives and Records AdministrationThe National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
website.