Newsroom

Agency Highlights 'Best Practices' for Employers to Prevent Job Discrimination

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued an extensive fact sheet on the application of federal anti-discrimination laws to employer tests and other selection procedures to screen applicants for hire and employees for promotion.  The new technical assistance document is available on the agency's web site at http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/factemployment_procedures.html

The fact sheet describes common types of employer administered tests and selection procedures

Blackwood Becomes Second EEOC Attorney to Receive ABA Honor

WASHINGTON -- Vincent Blackwood, Assistant General Counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), will receive the "Federal Labor and Employment Attorney of the Year" award from the American Bar Association (ABA).

Blackwood was selected for the award by the ABA's Labor and Employment Law Section.  This distinguished award recognizes a federal attorney whose professional achievements exemplify excellence of legal work in

EEOC Settles Suit Charging Male Former Regional Vice President With Victimizing Male Former Senior Accounts Executive

MIAMI  – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced that United  HealthCare of Florida, Inc. will pay $1.8 million to settle a same-sex harassment  and retaliation lawsuit charging that the male former regional vice president  of key accounts subjected a male former top senior account executive to  repeated verbal sexual harassment in Sunrise, Fla.

Five Employers Honored for Programs Promoting Access and Inclusion

WASHINGTON – Naomi C. Earp, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), today presented the agency's third annual "Freedom to Compete Award" to five employers from the private and public sectors for best practices that promote access and inclusion.

The award recipients include a leading internationally recognized hospital center, a non-profit health care provider, a major bureau of a Cabinet-level agency, a

WASHINGTON – Naomi C. Earp, Chair of the  U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), will present the third  annual “Freedom to Compete Award” recognizing employers and organizations for  initiatives that promote fair and open competition in the workplace. Five awards will be presented during a ceremony  on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 10:30 a.m.,  EEOC Headquarters, 1801 L Street,    N.W.

The  awards presentation is part of the EEOC’s Freedom to Compete Initiative

EEOC Class Suit Charges Company with Discrimination Against Men

BALTIMORE – A federal court has ruled that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) may proceed to trial with its class sex discrimination lawsuit against L.A. Weight Loss Centers, Inc. (LAWL) on behalf of qualified male applicants nationwide. 

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, decisively rejected LAWL's court

Denver Conference to Offer One-Stop Training On Federal Sector Employment Discrimination Issues

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will hold its 10th anniversary federal sector EXCEL (Examining Conflicts in Employment Law) conference from Aug. 13 to 16 at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Denver, Colo.

EXCEL is the premier national federal sector law conference and the most comprehensive of its kind examining contemporary equal employment opportunity issues and other workplace

Former Area Supervisor with Hearing Impairment Wins Harassment Case

DALLAS – The U.S. Equal Employment  Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has received a favorable jury verdict of $166,500  in a disability harassment lawsuit brought against a Subway restaurant  franchise, BobRich Enterprises, Inc., on behalf of a female manager who was  discriminated against and forced to resign because of her hearing impairment.

The Dallas jury of five women and two men awarded former  area supervisor Tammy

Chair Earp Cites Government-Wide Progress, Calls for Further Improvements

WASHINGTON – Naomi C. Earp, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), today released the Annual Report on the Federal Work Force for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, covering October 2005 through September 2006.  The comprehensive report, which informs and advises the President and the U.S. Congress on the state of equal employment opportunity (EEO) government-wide, is available on the agency's web site at

Alamo Car Rental Fired Young Muslim Woman After 9/11 Attacks for Wearing Head Scarf During Ramadan, Agency Charged

PHOENIX – A Phoenix jury has awarded more than $287,000 in a religious discrimination suit against Alamo Car Rental brought by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.  The EEOC had charged Alamo committed post-9/11 backlash discrimination based on religion when it fired a Somali customer sales representative in December 2001 for refusing to

Commission Hears from Broad Range of Expert Panelists at Public Meeting

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today held a public meeting focusing on employer best practices to achieve work/family balance, and issued a guidance document on how agency-enforced laws apply to workers with caregiving responsibilities.

The new guidance is being issued by the EEOC as a proactive measure to address an emerging discrimination issue in

Outreach to Stakeholders Comes as Employers Screen Increasing Number of Applicants

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today held a public meeting to gather information and address emerging trends in workplace testing and selection procedures, as employers seek lawful and efficient ways to screen large numbers of applicants.  Discriminatory employment tests and selection procedures violate EEOC-enforced federal laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will hold a public Commission Meeting on how agency-enforced laws apply to employment testing and screening on Wednesday, May 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Eastern Time), at agency headquarters, 1801 L Street, N.W. (Ninth Floor, Commission Meeting Room).

During the meeting, the Commission will hear from invited expert panelists, including EEOC attorneys and charging parties, advocates on behalf of employers and

Panel of Experts to Address Pregnancy Discrimination, Caregivers in the Workplace

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will hold a public Commission Meeting to examine perspectives on work/family balance issues and the federal anti-discrimination laws on Tuesday, April 17, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Eastern Time), at agency headquarters, 1801 L Street, N.W. (Ninth Floor, Commission Meeting Room).

During the meeting, the Commission will hear from invited expert panelists offering a

Federal Judge Cites Involvement of Top Management in Permitting Harassment and in Retaliating Against Victims

CHICAGO – A federal district judge this morning entered final judgment in an amount exceeding $1.1 million in favor of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and against Custom Companies, a Northlake, Ill., trucking company in a sexual harassment case brought by the agency under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In a 50-page Memorandum

EEOC Says Pharmacy Giant Makes Store Assignments and Denies Promotions Based on Race; Thousands of African American Managers and Professionals May Be Affected

ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today filed an employment discrimination class lawsuit against Walgreen Company, the Illinois-based national drugstore chain, alleging widespread racial bias against thousands of African American workers.

The EEOC charges in the suit that Walgreens

E-RACE Initiative to Highlight New and Emerging Discrimination Issues Nationwide

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today launched a national initiative to bring a fresh, 21st century approach to combating racism, which remains the most frequent claim filed with the agency.  EEOC Chair Naomi C. Earp unveiled the initiative, E-RACE (Eradicating Racism And Colorism from Employment), during a public meeting at agency headquarters that featured panels of experts and victims.

Latest Q&A Fact Sheet Explains How Americans with Disabilities Act Applies to Employment in the Health Care Industry

WASHINGTON - Naomi C. Earp, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), today announced the issuance of a new question-and-answer (Q&A) fact sheet on the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to job applicants and employees in the health care industry. The new publication, part of a

Eighth Circuit Says Lower Court Erred in Dismissing Case

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit today ruled that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) may continue its disability discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (EEOC v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Case No. 06-1583), reversing a lower court’s dismissal of the case.

The EEOC filed suit against Wal-Mart in January 2004 on behalf of Steve Bradley

Race and Sex Discrimination, Retaliation Most Frequently Filed Cases

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) last year received a total of 75,768 discrimination charges against private sector employers, the first increase in charge filings since 2002, the federal agency reported today as part of its Fiscal Year 2006 data.

The year-end statistics, available online at http://www.eeoc.gov/stats/enforcement.html, show that charges based on race (27,238), sex (23,247), and retaliation (22,555)

Fortune 500 Company Subjected African Americans to Nooses, Threats, Nazi and KKK Messages, Agency Charged

PITTSBURGH C  AK Steel Corporation will pay $600,000 to settle a racial harassment lawsuit  brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency  announced today. The EEOC had charged that  the Fortune 500 company violated federal law at its Butler, Pa.,  facility by creating and condoning a racially hostile work environ­ment for a  group of African American

Motherhood Maternity Refused to Hire Pregnant Applicants and Fired Assistant Manager for Complaining, Agency Charged

MIAMI – A Philadelphia-based maternity clothes retailer will pay $375,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.  The EEOC had charged that Mothers Work, Inc., doing business as Motherhood Maternity, refused to hire qualified female applicants because they were pregnant. 

According

CHICAGO – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Chase) today announced the $2.2 million settlement of a claim brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) against Bank One Corporation.

The EEOC issued an administrative determination on March 11, 2004, finding that there was reasonable cause to believe that Bank One violated the ADA by failing to properly accommodate a group of employees who were medically released to return

Women Rejected for Jobs at Armour Sausage Plant Because of 'Strength Test'

DES MOINES, Iowa – A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court's decision that a pre-employment "strength test" discriminated against female applicants for jobs at the Dial Corporation's Armour Star sausage-making plant in Fort Madison, Iowa.  The decision also affirmed the award of approximately $3.3 million to 52 rejected female job applicants.  The case arose from a lawsuit by the U.S. Equal