The U.S. Department of Labor ("DOL") oversees the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") and enforces many of the laws that protect individuals in the workplace. The EEOC is the federal agency that functions as the labor relations specialist. The EEOC prescribes methods to determine if an employer has violated any employment laws or protections, and prescribes best practices to promote better labor relations. As a labor relations specialist, the EEOC focuses on legislation such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963 ("EPA") which prohibits disparities in salary based on classifications such as gender and race. The EPA imposes a requirement that employers pay individuals who perform substantially equivalent work the same salary or wage regardless of the gender of the employee. The EEOC labor relations policies oversee salary policies and requirements mandate that fundamental employee rights such as equality of pay between men and women are enforced.