Are apprentices protected from retaliation for filing an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint?

Each complaint must be in writing and contain (1) the apprentice’s name, address and telephone number, or other means of contact; (2) the name of the apprenticeship sponsor; (3) a short description of the actions that the apprentice believes were discriminatory or a failure to follow the equal opportunity standards and why the apprentice believes these actions were discriminatory; and (4) the signature of the apprentice or the apprentice’s authorized representative.

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Yes. Under 29 C.F.R. 30.14, an authorized representative may file a complaint on behalf of an apprentice.  This could allow a friend, family member, advocate, or lawyer to file such a complaint. A community group, a journeyworker who mentors apprentices, or a more senior worker may also file a complaint on behalf of the apprentice. The only requirement is that any such representative be authorized by the apprentice.   

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If apprentices or applicants for apprenticeship believe they have been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), sexual orientation, age (40 or older), genetic information, or disability, or that their program is not following the equal opportunity standards, they can file a written complaint with the Registration Agency under which the apprenticeship is registered.  Under 29 C.F.R. 30.14, complaints must be filed within 300 days of the alleged discrimination or the alleged failure to follow the equal opportunity standards.  The apprentice may also be able to file a complaint directly with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or the State fair employment practices agency in which the apprenticeship program is located.  The contact information for those agencies must be included on the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) notice, which must be provided in the application for apprenticeship and must also be displayed in a prominent, publicly available location where all apprentices will see the notice.  The EEO notice language is available on the Inform Apprentices EEO webpage. A sample poster for sponsors to customize is available on the Access Pledge Poster webpage.

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For programs registered with the Office of Apprenticeship (OA), complaints are to be electronically filed with OA at ApprenticeshipEEOcomplaints@dol.gov.  You may also mail the complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor, as follows: 

U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship

200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC  20210

Telephone Number: (202) 693-2614

Email Address:  ApprenticeshipEEOcomplaints@dol.gov

Point of Contact: Director, Division of Standards and Quality  

Attn:  Apprenticeship EEO Complaints

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