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Just like in America By Ruth Sinai Tags: Christine Griffin Christine Griffin has a few simple requests: not to be described as wheelchair-bound, not to be written about in a sappy way, and to be photographed in her wheelchair only if that will help promote the rights of people with disabilities. Oh, and just one more thing - that each person be treated according to his ability rather than his appearance. Griffin, an engineer, lawyer and human rights activist, was appointed in 2006 by President George W. Bush to serve on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal organization in charge of preventing discrimination in the American job market and one of the strongest enforcement agencies in the United States. In accordance with a party key that has been in use in the commission since its establishment over 40 years ago, Griffin is one of the two Democrats in the organization, serving alongside three Republicans. She is not "bound" to a wheelchair, but has been using it to get around since a traffic accident left her a paraplegic at the age of 25. Last week she visited Israel. Before her arrival she diligently read up on Israeli legislation designed to prevent discrimination in the job market. "You read the law and are very excited," she says. In the field, as she discovered from conversations with representatives of social welfare organizations and senior government officials, the picture is less exciting because the laws are not enforced, or as Griffin put it diplomatically, "not fully implemented and enforced." Advertisement Attorney Tziona Kenig-Yair was appointed to head the Israel Equal Employment Opportunity Commission about a year ago. She hopes that by the end of the year, the three regional commissioners who will be serving under her will have been chosen. According to Israeli law, the commission, which is still in the course of being established, is authorized to demand information from employers about their employees when a claim of discrimination is brought up against them, to carry out investigations and to file charges. Kenig-Yair is envious of her American counterpart. A worker in the U.S. who wants to sue an employer for discrimination based on race, religion, nationality, gender, disabilities or age must do so via the commission. Last year alone the commission filed about 83,000 charges against employers and imposed fines or compensation payments totaling almost $300 million. In Israel, on the other hand, an employee is not required to sue via the commission, although already in the first month since the launching of its Web site, Kenig-Yair received about 100 requests from employees. In the coming weeks she will also distribute a pamphlet among employers that explains what is considered discrimination against employees. From investigations she has carried out, she can already say that gender and nationality are the most significant bases for discrimination, which is to say that the most common victims are Arabs who are not hired at all, and women who are not promoted or who earn less than men. In third place are those discriminated against on the basis of age. In the U.S., discrimination on the basis of race is at the top of the charts. Griffin spoke at length with Kenig-Yair and tried to offer her encouragement. "We began with a handful of white-guy lawyers and look where we are today," says Griffin. She explained to the Israeli organizations with which she met that Kenig-Yair's success depends on them. "The commission won't be a policeman of equality in the work place. It's a tool. It's only as good as the people who depend on it," she says. Only if they demand a strong commission and explain to the government and to employers that it's important to them, will that be the case, she adds. "Civil rights don't happen by chance," says Griffin. "The market doesn't drive civil rights, that's why government has to be involved." Griffin is convinced that the most effective means of eliminating prejudice against the other and those who are different is an encounter in the workplace. "You are forced to rely on them and they on you," she says. "Who wanted women in the workplace? Or Afro-Americans? Or the disabled?" she asks. "In the employment arena, we want to pick someone who looks like us. The feeling is that if he isn't like you, he is somehow less qualified, less capable." In one area at least, Griffin does not see much progress; on the contrary. In 2007 only 0.92 percent of federal government employees were people with disabilities, whereas their share in the population among those of working age is about 7 percent. "The federal government is one of the worst employers in that regard, despite the tools provided by the law," she says. It is actually in the private business sector that there are signs of greater openness and attempts to embrace diversity in the work force and among suppliers, says Griffin. The U.S. commissioner regrets the fact that most people do not understand that "if you live long enough, you too will have some sort of disability." The U.S. job market behaves shortsightedly and does not understand that in just a few years, there will be a huge shortage of workers and there will be no choice but to employ workers with disabilities who today are rejected out of hand, she says. Griffin is a great believer in affirmative action and in quotas for groups of workers who suffer from discrimination, and she is battling the growing attempts on the part of various organizations in the U.S. to overturn these practices. "My gut tells me that the majority of people have experienced some discrimination in the workplace, but simply decided to move on," she says. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Beatle terror Islamic militant leader threatens to kill former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, over Israel gig. Fugee Fridays Every Friday, volunteers bring donated food from Carmel Market to African refugees.   1.   Hopefully the Israeli commission will evolve into a stronger body 19:57  |  Rami 08/09/08

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