University of Washington Human Resources

Affirmative action is a program required of federal contractors, like UW, to ensure applicants are evaluated, and employees are treated during employment, without regard to their membership in a protected class.

Affirmative action prohibits contractors from making any employment decisions which factor in disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran, or other protected veterans.

• Set an annual hiring goal for protected veterans (OFCCP benchmark percentage given in March 2023 is 5.4%)
• Endeavor to employ more individuals with disabilities (OFCCP goal for federal contractors is 7%)
• Evaluate efforts to create diverse applicant pools including good faith efforts
• Evaluate recruitment processes and standards

The following links are to federal regulations and state laws, among others, requiring affirmative action. Federal Affirmative Action Law and Regulations:

• CFR Title 41 Chapter 60-300
• CFR Title 41 Chapter 60-741

Washington State Law and Regulations:

• Chapter 49.74.020 RCW Affirmative Action
• Chapter 49.60.010 RCW Discrimination Human Rights Commission
• Chapter 357-25 WAC

Washington State law requires state agencies to collect and report the same data. Initiative 200, passed by the citizens of Washington State in 1998 and incorporated into the Washington State Law Against Discrimination, prohibits preferential treatment on the basis of race, color, national origin, and sex. I-200 does not prohibit action that must be taken to establish or maintain eligibility for any federal programs, if ineligibility would result in a loss of federal funds to the state.

Affirmative action data are treated as confidential, kept separate from personnel files, and made available only to persons with a need to know. Summary level counts are included in required state and federal reports. The data reports for affirmative action can be seen on the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action’s webpage under Affirmative Action Reports.

The University of Washington requests information from applicants and employees about their service in the United States military.

• For employees who served in the United States military, the OFCCP developed an infographic for determining which category may be the best fit: Am I a protected veteran?
• For employees who served in the United States military, but none of the VEVRAA categories linked above apply, they may want to select “I am not a protected veteran” or “I decline to disclose my veteran status.”
• For employees who have not served in the United States military, they may want to select “Non-veteran” or “I decline to disclose my veteran status.”

Discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment or retaliation based on protected characteristics is addressed by Executive Order No. 81, Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct. See UW’s Civil Rights Compliance office for more information and resources.