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Contact:
Toni A. Delgado
Director, Public Affairs & Civic Engagement
(614) 466-9063
http://crc.ohio.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCRC COMMISSIONERS TO DISCUSS & APPROVE PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION RULE
REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING
DATE: Thursday - October 25, 2007
TIME: 9:30 AM
LOCATION: Rhodes State Office Tower, 30 E. Broad Street, 1st Floor Hearing Room, Columbus, Ohio
On June 21, 2007, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission approved a proposed revision to the administrative rule on pregnancy discrimination. The current version this rule was adopted in 1977 and requires that employers provide pregnancy leave
"for a reasonable period of time," makes it illegal to terminate a female employee under a policy providing "insufficient" or no pregnancy leave, and requires that pregnant employees be returned to their original or similar job upon
signifying their intent to return to work within a "reasonable time." The proposed revision to this rule merely takes the guesswork out of the process by changing "reasonable period" to a straight 12 weeks.
A public hearing was held on August 1, 2007 for the purpose of receiving comments, proposals and recommendations from those persons and parties affected by, or otherwise interested in, the proposed revision to the rule on pregnancy
discrimination. The testimony is available on the OCRC website.
On Tuesday October 17th, Policy Matters Ohio released a study on this issue. You can view this study by
clicking here.
On October 25th, 2007, the revised administrative rule is scheduled for OCRC Commissioner discussion and possible approval. The Commission meeting will begin at 9:30 AM, at the Rhodes State Office Tower, 30 E. Broad Street, 1st Floor
Hearing Room, Columbus, Ohio. If you have any questions, please contact Toni A. Delgado at 614-466-9063.
Immediately following this special discussion item, the Commission will hold its regular public meeting. At this meeting, OCRC Commissioners will hear arguments from parties of discrimination complaints and investigations as well as rule
on cases that have undergone investigation in one of the agency's six regional offices. As with all OCRC meetings, this meeting is free and open to the public. For driving directions, please
click here.
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BEST PRACTICES IN DIVERSITY FORUM
DATE: Friday - October 26, 2007
TIME: 11:00 AM. – 5:00 PM
LOCATION: Berry Room, Nutter Center, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio
OCRC Sponsors Diversity Workshop for Human Resource Professionals at Wright State University
Human resource professionals throughout the state are invited to attend a "Best Practices in Diversity Forum" scheduled at Wright State University on Friday, October 26, 2007.
The 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. event in the Nutter Center Berry Room is sponsored by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, the Wright State Raj Soin College of Business, the Institute for Business Integrity at Wright State, Department of Management at
the Raj Soin College of Business, and the Miami Valley Human Resource Association.
G. Michael Payton, executive director of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, said, "Accepting and embracing multiculturalism will allow proactive businesses to adapt to secure a competitive advantage in the marketplace while hopefully
reducing employment litigation. The Best Practices in Diversity Forum hosted by Wright State University will provide participants with first-hand information from leading corporations on successful techniques for achieving a workplace
culture where all employees are valued for their contribution."
Ann Wendt, Ph.D., a professor of management at Wright State and coordinator of the event, said the program will include a mock mediation on employment discrimination, plus best practice in diversity presentations from David Tulin of Global
Lead Management Consulting and Bill Kent of PK USA.
The $40 registration fee includes lunch and parking. Three hours of recertification credit will be available to those who hold certification in the areas of human resources, civil rights and related professions.
For more details on the event, please contact Ann Wendt at (937) 775-2468.
For registration details
click here or contact Marie Clemons at (937) 775-5522.
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YOUTH HATE CRIMES PREVENTION CONFERENCE
DATE: Saturday - October 27, 2007
TIME: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
LOCATION: Fort Hayes High School Auditorium, 546 Jack Gibbs Blvd., Columbus OH
The Ohio Civil Rights Commission invites teens and adults from across the state to attend a Youth Hate Crimes Prevention Conference on Saturday, October 27th at Fort Hayes High School Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio from 12PM-5PM. The
conference will feature inspirational keynote speakers, community group displays, and youth project presentations, competition, and award presentation. The conference is free, and open to the public.
With the goal of education, awareness and prevention of hate crimes, 6th to 12th grade youth groups will be presenting a short film, essay, song/music, power point presentation, skit, cartoon, drawing, drama, play, painting, photography,
poetry, etc. Cash prizes of $500, $300 and $100 will be awarded to the top three winning projects, selected by relevance, creativity, and quality of presentation. A panel of distinguished community leaders will evaluate the projects.
This program is dedicated to develop a community wide event for the prevention and awareness of hate crimes. Hate crimes, also known as bias crimes, are criminal acts motivated by the offender's bias against a race, ethnicity, religion,
sexual orientation, gender, disability or national origin. In a hate crime, the offender intentionally targets a victim because of their personal characteristics. Ignorance is the seed of hatred. We believe that through education,
community-based activities and collaboration, we can achieve cross-cultural understanding and mutual respect to reduce hate crimes.
This event is organized by the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) Columbus Chapter and is co-sponsored by the Allstate Foundation, the Columbus Community Relations of City of Columbus, the Columbus Youth Commission of Mayor Michael B.
Coleman's Office of Education, the Columbus Chinese Christian Church, the Godman Guild T.E.E.N. Mentoring Program, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, the Ohio Hispanic Coalition, the Ohio Contemporary Chinese School, the Multi-Cultural
Center of the Ohio State University, and the Somali Women and Children Alliance.
For more details on the event, please contact
Theresa Lee or (614) 326-0888.
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CLEVELAND REGIONAL OFFICE OPEN HOUSE
DATE: Tuesday - October 30, 2007
TIME: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
LOCATION: Frank J. Lausche State Office Building, 615 W. Superior Avenue, 2nd Floor Auditorium, Cleveland
The Ohio Civil Rights Commission's Cleveland Regional Office invites you to learn more about the OCRC. A brief presentation will given at 2:15 PM and again at 3:15 PM. Come meet our staff, learn more about our process, and let us answer
any questions you have.
The OCRC is the primary educator and enforcer of Ohio's laws against discrimination. Within the last year, the Cleveland Regional investigated and closed 926 cases of discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodation, credit and
higher education. On the average, the Cleveland Regional Office received over 19 charges of discrimination per week.
Questions and/or RSVP - 216-787-3150.
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The OCRC receives and investigates charges of discrimination in employment, housing, credit and higher education on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, country of national origin age, ancestry, disability and families
with children. For information on the OCRC, please visit our website at www.crc.ohio.gov
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