Equal Opportunity Policy Statement

The U.S. Department of Transportation embraces equal employment opportunity (EEO) and inclusiveness and maintains a model Federal work environment that is free of discrimination. No employee, former employee, or applicant for employment at the Department will be denied equal opportunity because of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, retaliation, or any other non-merit-based factor. This not only is the law; it is an essential component of the Department’s mission and our responsibility to the public we serve.

I am committed to fostering an inclusive workforce that reflects America’s diversity through effective outreach, recruitment, hiring, promotion, employee development, and equitable treatment of the Department’s employees, recipients, and other partners and stakeholders whom we work with, through, and for. We will continue to identify and eliminate barriers to equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities and groups with a low participation rate in our workforce. I also expect all managers and supervisors to ensure that our employees are given equal opportunity for training and career development programs, promotions, awards and recognition, and other applicable terms, conditions, benefits, and privileges of employment.

All Department employees, former employees, and applicants for employment have the right to raise allegations of discrimination and harassment without fear of reprisal. We will take swift and appropriate corrective and/or disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, when employees are found to have engaged in discrimination, retaliation, or harassment, which are prohibited by our policies regardless of whether the discrimination, retaliation, or harassment violates federal law.

Employees, former employees, and applicants for employment who believe they have been subjected to unlawful discrimination or retaliation for opposing discrimination in the Department, or hindered from participating in the employment discrimination complaint process, are encouraged to contact an EEO Counselor, their Office of Civil Rights, or our Departmental Office of Civil Rights within 45 calendar days from the date of the alleged discrimination or retaliation or from the date on which they reasonably became aware of the discrimination or retaliation. If a formal complaint is filed and accepted, there will be a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation, and we will keep confidential, to the greatest extent possible, the facts of these investigations.

I am committed to ensuring that the Department operates in accordance with principles of equity and fairness and that our workplace environment is safe, productive, and free from discrimination.

Pete Buttigieg