EEOC CHAIR UNVEILS PLAN TO ENHANCE AGENCY PRESENCE

Repositioning will Deliver Better, Faster Service to the Public               No Jobs will be Lost; New Offices to Open

WASHINGTON -  Cari M. Dominguez, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), today unveiled a proposal designed to reposition the Commission's field structure to enhance the agency's enforcement presence and delivery of services; improve the efficiency of its operations; and reduce or eliminate costs.  Under the plan, two new offices will be opened.  Chair Dominguez has called a May 16 Commission Meeting to deliberate and vote on the measure.

Please note: The May 16, 2005 Commission Meeting has been rescheduled for July 8, 2005.

"Given the shifting demographics, changing business environment, explosive technological advancements, and budgetary considerations of our times, this plan will recast the Commission in a stronger and more viable position to carry out its mission," Dominguez said.  "The proposal continues to advance the President's expectations -- of every executive-branch agency -- to run a well managed, highly efficient, customer-centered, and results-driven organization." 

The Commission has been engaged in a comprehensive review of its organizational structure and operations for the past three years.  The proposal announced today is the second of three repositioning efforts.  The first involved establishing a National Contact Center, on a pilot basis, as the agency strives to better serve members of the public.  The third phase will involve a more streamlined Washington headquarters, with well-defined lines of responsibilities and clarification of roles.

The proposal announced today will:

       
• Enhance EEOC's enforcement presence:  All current EEOC offices will remain open           and, recognizing demographic and workload shifts, additional offices will be opened in           Las Vegas, Nevada, and Mobile, Alabama.
             
• Protect EEOC jobs:  The proposal is designed to ensure that no EEOC employee           will lose a job and there will be no reduction in force.
                 
• Effect long-term cost reductions to position EEOC to invest in programs:           Once the repositioning is fully implemented, it is anticipated that there will be           several million dollars in cost savings.
       
• Redeploy resources to line positions for better customer service:  By reducing layers of     management and other staff redundancies, overhead expenses will be lowered and EEOC's     management structure will be flattened, especially in cities where the workload does not justify a     larger field office any longer, so that there will be an agency-wide ratio of one first-line     supervisor for every ten employees.
     
• Reduce the span of control that Headquarters office directors have in relationship to the     field thus ensuring more effective communication:  The proposal reduces by more than a third     (from 25 to 16) the number of field office directors reporting to the Headquarters office; a     similar reduction to 15 field reporting units will be realized for the General Counsel.
             
• Expand jurisdictional responsibilities for District Directors and Regional Attorneys:  District     Directors and Regional Attorneys will be responsible for larger geographic areas, larger     workloads, and will exercise greater leadership that is commensurate with their executive rank.
               
• Enhance consistency and uniformity among district offices:  The reduced span of control by     headquarters and the increased span of control by field directors will ensure more consistency in     EEOC's operations.  Customers will be given the same high level of service in all EEOC offices.

The EEOC enforces the nation's laws in the private and federal sectors prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age and disability. These statutes include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, sections of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991. Further information about the Commission is available online at www.eeoc.gov.