Here is a list of some of the common acronyms used in Arizona employment law. Although employment lawyers are familiar with most of these abbreviations, they can be very confusing to the rest of the world. If we have left out any of your personal favorites, let us know so that the list will be complete.

AEPA

The Arizona Employment Protection Act.  (ARS 23-2501)  See EPA.

ACRA

The Arizona Civil Rights Act, ARS 41-1461 et seq., is Arizona's counterpart to TITLE VII, the ADEA and the ADA. It prohibits discrimination in employment on account of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap or national origin.

ACRD

The Arizona Civil Rights Division (now Section) of the Arizona Attorney General's office enforces the ACRA. It works in cooperation with the EEOC sharing the task of investigating charges of discrimination..

ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq., passed in 1990, has two major components. Title I prohibits discrimination in employment. The rest of the Act requires various public accommodations for disabled individuals.

ADEA

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 29 U.S.C. 621 et seq., protects people over 40 from employment discrimination on account of age.

AFSCME

The Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees, a union of sorts for government employees of all sorts.

BFOQ

A bona fide occupational qualification is a very narrow and limited defense that allows employers to discriminate in hiring for reasons that would otherwise be unlawful. For example, a theater company can reject a black woman's application to play the part of Abraham Lincoln.

CBA

A collective bargaining agreement is a contract negotiated between a union and employer that covers the terms of employment for all employees within a specified work group. Most Arizona employees have never seen one.

COBRA

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 has numerous provisions relating to all kinds of things. The acronym is most often used to refer to provisions found at 29 U.S.C. 1161 et seq., which provide for continuation of health insurance after termination of employment, etc.

CP

A charging party is the term used to refer to someone who files a charge of discrimination with an agency, such as the EEOC, which investigates claims of discrimination in employment.

DES

The Arizona Department of Economic Security is the state agency in Arizona that administers the state's unemployment insurance program.

DOL

Also abbreviated USDOL, the United States Department of Labor enforces various federal laws applicable to employers. See FMLA, OFCCP, FLSA, OSHA.

EEOC

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is a federal agency charged with responsibility for enforcing the major federal anti-discrimination laws. It investigates and sometimes litigates claims of discrimination on account of race, age, sex, national origin, religion and disability. See TITLE VII, ADA, ADEA.

EPA

Most commonly associated with the Environmental Protection Agency, this acronym is used by Arizona employment attorneys to refer to two different laws, the Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. 206(d), and Arizona's Employment Protection Act, ARS 23-2501.

EPPA

The Employee Polygraph Protection Act, 29 U.S.C. 2001 et seq., is a federal law that limits the use of polygraphs by private employers. Like many labor laws, it doesn't apply to the government.

ERISA

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 contains a variety of provisions governing employee retirement and welfare benefits. Most health insurance, 401k, profit sharing and even some severance plans are governed by ERISA. Few lawyers understand this area of law or care to learn it.

FLSA

The Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. 201 et seq., governs the payment of minimum wages and overtime, as well as some child labor issues. See USDOL, EPA.

FMLA

The Family and Medical Leave Act, 29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq., provides certain employees with the right to take time off work for serious medical and certain other family matters without losing their jobs. Enacted in 1993, it is a complicated law that is still not well understood. See USDOL

FOP

The Fraternal Order of Police is an organization that lobbies for a variety of benefits and protections for law enforcement officers who, as public servants, are prohibited from striking or using other conventional means to secure employee protections. But see "Blue flu."

FOPAW

The Fraternal Order of Professional Auto Workers is a fringe group that split from the UAW and refused to strike against General Motors because they thought it was tacky and politically incorrect. (I just made this up.)

ICA

The Industrial Commission of Arizona administers the worker compensation system, as well as state OSHA laws, collection of unpaid wages and licensing of employment agencies.

MSHA

The Mine Safety Health Administration, part of the USDOL, is particularly important in Arizona, where mining is a major employer.

NLRA

The National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. 141 et seq., is actually the product of a series of bills enacted in 1935, 1947 and 1959. It regulates union activity and the labor management relationship in most private sector industries. See NLRB, RLA, ULP.

NLRB

The National Labor Relations Board is a federal agency charged with enforcing the NLRA. It oversees the organization and certification of unions and the investigation and prevention of ULP's.

OFCCP

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, part of the USDOL, investigates charges of violations of various laws and executive orders that govern federal contractors, including the Rehabilitation Act and VEVRA. In some cases its jurisdiction overlaps with the EEOC's enforcement of Title VII and the ADA.

OSHA

This acronym is alternatively used to refer to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 29 U.S.C. 651 et seq., or its Arizona equivalent, ARS 23-401 et seq., or the federal and state agencies that administer these laws.

OWBPA

The Older Worker Benefit Protection Act, 29 U.S.C. 626(f), provides certain requirements that must be met before an employee can effectively waive the right to make a claim of age discrimination.

PATCO

The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization is a labor union that made the mistake of calling a strike of air traffic controllers during the Reagan administration. All strikers were promptly fired and replaced.

RLA

The Railway Labor Act, 45 U.S.C. 151 et seq., is the federal law that governs labor relations of common carriers, including railroads and airlines. These industries are not governed by the NLRA or the NLRB. Instead, the RLA is enforced by the National Mediation Board and its subordinate boards.

TITLE VII

That part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq., that prohibits discrimination in employment on account of race, color, religion, national origin or sex. See EEOC

ULP

An unfair labor practice is any of a variety of unlawful acts performed by employers, employees or unions in violation of the NLRA. Prevention of ULP's is governed exclusively by the NLRB.

USDOL

The United States Department of Labor enforces various employment related laws. See DOL, FLSA, FMLA, MSHA, OFCCP, OSHA.