Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, is a United States federal agency tasked with ending employment discrimination in the United States. Signed into law by President John F. Kennedy by Executive Order 10925, it can bring suit on behalf of alleged victims of discrimination against private employers. It also serves as an adjudicatory for claims of discrimination brought against federal agencies.

The EEOC's mandate is specified under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 [1], the Equal Pay Act [2], the Age Discrimination in Employment Act [3] (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act [4] (ADA).

The Chair of the Commission is Naomi C. Earp, who was designated by President George W. Bush on August 29, 2006. Earp had previously served as Vice Chair of the commission since April 2003. Her five-year term as Chair will expire on July 1, 2010.

On March 27, 2006, President Bush announced his nomination of Ronald S. Cooper for the position of General Counsel.

1 Structure
2 Staffing, workload, and backlog
3 Chairs of the EEOC
4 Acts enforced by the EEOC
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Structure

The EEOC has five commissioners who make equal employment opportunity policy and approve most litigation. These commissioners are appointed for five-year, staggered terms by the President of the United States, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The President designates a Chair and a Vice Chair. The Chair is the chief executive officer of the Commission.

EEOC's General Counsel, who like the Commissioners is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, has a four-year term. The General Counsel directs the Commission's enforcement and litigation through the regional attorneys in the agency's district offices who file and litigate the Commission's suits throughout the country.

In 2005, the agency reorganized, reducing the staff in some district offices and creating offices in Las Vegas and Mobile, Alabama. It also reassigned some staff members, including managers, to enforcement, litigation, mediation, and customer service positions.

In 2005, the agency opened a national call center, through a $4.9 million contract with Pearson Government Solutions. A draft study published in April 2006, commissioned by the agency's inspector general, said that the call center handled one-fifth the projected volume and saved the agency only six positions, not the 21 that were expected.

[edit] Staffing, workload, and backlog

Full-time staffing of the EEOC has decreased from 2,899 in fiscal year 2001 to 2,343 as of December 2005. The commission's budget has increased slightly in that period, from $317 million in fiscal year 2001 to $327 million in fiscal year 2006.

The agency logged over 79,000 complaints in fiscal year 2004 and more than 75,000 in fiscal year 2005. The backlog of complaints rose from 33,562 in 2005 to 39,061 in 2006 (as of June), and is projected to increase to 47,500 in fiscal year 2007.