RGRTA Equal Opportunity Policy

Date: January 2022                                  

Approved: Chief Executive Officer, William Carpenter

The Authority is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity with respect to all employees, interns and applicants for employment. Consistent with this commitment, our policy is to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws concerning employment discrimination. Accordingly, the Company prohibits discrimination against qualified employees, interns and applicants in all aspects of employment including, but not limited to: recruitment, interviewing, hiring (or failure or refusal to hire), evaluation, compensation, promotion, job assignment, transfer, demotion, training, leaves of absence, layoff, benefits, use of facilities, working conditions, termination and employer sponsored activities and programs, including wellness, social and recreational programs. Employment decisions will be made without regard to an applicant’s, employee’s or intern’s actual or perceived: race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, creed, religion (including wearing attire, clothing or facial hair in accordance with the tenets of religion), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions and transgender status), gender identity or expression, reproductive health decisions, familial status, national origin, physical or mental disability (including gender dysphoria and being a certified medical marijuana patient), genetic information (including predisposing genetic characteristics), age (18 and over), veteran status, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, certain arrest or conviction records, domestic violence victim status, and any other status protected by law. or 2) their relationship or association with members of a protected class.             

The Authority is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees who need them because of a disability or to practice or observe their religion, absent undue hardship.

The Authority is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. The successful achievement of the Authority's EEO goals will serve to enhance and improve the Authority's ability to achieve our vision to become our community’s innovative mobility choice.

This Policy applies to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, including but not limited to: recruitment, interviewing, hiring (or failure or refusal to hire), evaluation, compensation, promotion, job assignment, transfer, demotion, training, leaves of absence, layoff, benefits, use of facilities, working conditions, termination and employer sponsored activities and programs, including wellness, social and recreational programs.

Authority and RGRTA each mean the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority and its wholly controlled subsidiaries (RTS, RTS Access, GTCs Inc., RTS Genesee, RTS Livingston, RTS Ontario, RTS Orleans, RTS Seneca, RTS Wayne and RTS Wyoming).      

The Authority supports affirmative action consistent with federal laws, court decisions, Executive Orders, and regulations including goals and timetables in order to close any identified gaps in underutilization of minorities and women. The Authority reports all EEO information to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.                                   

The responsibility for the implementation of the EEO program is assigned to the Chief Executive

Officer, as EEO Director. The regular management of the EEO program on a day-to-day basis is the responsibility of the Chief People Officer, Amy Gould (585-654-0200) as the EEO Officer. The Director of People Performance and Development is the designee for the EEO Officer.

All Commissioners, Executive Management team members, Vice Presidents, Directors, Managers and first- line supervisors, including those of all subsidiary operations, share in the responsibility of ensuring compliance.

Compliance is achieved through understanding and communicating as well as demonstrating support for this program on a day-to-day basis when deploying human resources to fulfill our commitment to the public for safe and efficient public for safe and efficient public transportation.

All applicants and employees have the right to file complaints alleging discrimination with the EEO Officer, EEO Officer’s designee, or Authority management referenced above. Applicants and employees also have the right to file complaints with the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and/ or the New York State Division of Human Rights.

Retaliation against an individual who files a charge or complaint of discrimination, participates in an employment discrimination proceeding (such as an investigation or lawsuit), or otherwise engages in protected activity is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated.

All Executive Management Team members, Vice Presidents, Directors, Managers and first line supervisors may be subject to evaluation annually on the success of the EEO Program and their contributions to a fuller utilization of previous utilized human resources.