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WASHINGTON – Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, a former Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), on Monday formally swore in EEOC Chair Naomi C. Earp, Vice Chair Leslie E. Silverman, and General Counsel Ronald S. Cooper at the Commission’s downtown Washington headquarters.

Monday’s ceremony marked the EEOC leaders’ official public installations, though they have each been serving for several weeks.  Chair Earp and Vice Chair

Settlement by EEOC and Private Plaintiffs Mandates Systemic Changes

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced a major litigation settlement with Tyson Foods for $871,000 on behalf of black workers who alleged that they were racially harassed and retaliated against at a chicken processing plant in Ashland, Alabama.  The three-year consent decree entered today by U.S. District Court Judge Karen O. Bowdre also includes significant injunctive relief that will foster

Court Says Jury Should Decide Whether Policy was Reasonable or Unlawful

ST. LOUIS – A federal court ruled today in a nationwide lawsuit that Allstate Insurance Company's one-year moratorium on rehiring its former sales agents had an adverse impact on older agents, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced.

Judge E. Richard Webber, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in St

Boosts Effort to Increase Number of Federal Employees with Targeted Disabilities

WASHINGTON – Giving greater presence to a pressing – and largely unknown – problem, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today launched a website section on its LEAD Initiative, designed to address the declining number of employees with severe disabilities in the Federal workforce.

The section, on EEOC's website at www.eeoc.gov/initiatives/lead/index.html, offers basic information on the initiative and on the declining number

High Court Denies Sidley's Petition for Certiorari and Seventh Circuit Decision Confirming EEOC's Ability to Seek Money, Reinstatement for Affected Partners Is Left Standing

WASHINGTON  - In a closely watched case brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against the international law firm of Sidley Austin Brown

At Issue: Failure to Provide Reasonable Accommodation for Medical Leave

BALTIMORE -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that it filed a federal discrimination lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) against Denny's, Inc., which operates more than 500 corporate-owned restaurants in 30 states, on behalf of disabled employees nationwide who were not provided reasonable accommodation and were fired after being denied medical leave needed in connection with their disabilities.

Record Number of Workforce Surveys Expected by EEOC

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity  Commission (EEOC) today urged the employer community to send in the annual  EEO-1 Report to meet the fast approaching Sept. 30 deadline, as required by  federal law. EEOC anticipates receiving  a record number of EEO-1 Reports from employers nationwide in 2006.

The EEO-1  Report – formally known as the “Employer Information Report” – is a government  survey requiring many

WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush last week designated Naomi Churchill Earp as Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).  Chair Earp, who officially took office on Sept. 1., succeeds Cari M. Dominguez, who stepped down after serving a full five-year term.

Between April 2003 and Sept. 1, 2006, Ms. Earp served as Vice Chair of EEOC.  During that time, she created and launched the EEOC's Youth@Work

Commission to Review Process of Investigating Federal EEO Complaints

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will hold its next meeting on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Time), at agency headquarters, 1801 L Street, N.W.  In accordance with the Sunshine Act, the meeting is open for public observation of the Commission’s deliberations.  During the meeting, the following matters are scheduled for consideration:

 
• Announcement of Notation Votes
 
• Federal Sector

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced a consent decree to resolve religious discrimination lawsuits filed against the state of Ohio; the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; the Ohio Department of Administrative Services; and the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, AFSCME, Local 11, AFL-CIO.  The lawsuits alleged that the state defendants and the union violated federal employment discrimination laws by failing to respect the rights of employees with

$940,000 Settlement To Be Shared Among Class of African Americans and Women Denied Hire

CLEVELAND – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced Friday that it had resolved its lawsuit charging that S & Z Tool & Die Co. discriminated against African American and female applicants in hiring due to their race and sex.

The lawsuit (Case No. 1:03CV2023) was filed in September 2003 under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and

EEOC Presented Evidence That Retail Giant Failed to Hire Four African Americans in Milwaukee Stores Because of Race

CHICAGO – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago has reversed a lower federal court in Milwaukee and ruled that an U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) race discrimination suit against the giant retailer Target Corporation should go to trial.  The appeals court found that the EEOC had presented sufficient

Latest EEOC Settlement on Issue of Discriminatory Early-Retirement Plans

MINNEAPOLIS – Independent School District No. 834 of Stillwater, Minnesota (Stillwater School District), will pay more than $1 million to former school district employees under a consent judgment resolving an age bias lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

EEOC has brought a total of 12 age discrimination lawsuits against Minnesota school districts because of their

WASHINGTON – Ronald S. Cooper was sworn in today as General Counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for a term of four years.  Cooper, most recently a partner with the Washington office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, was nominated by President Bush on March 27 and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 26.

“As the Commission moves to a national law firm model, the

Second-Longest Serving Chair Oversaw Record Enforcement and Outreach, and Strategic Advances and Efficiencies

WASHINGTON – Cari M. Dominguez, Chair of the U.S. Equal  Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), announced today that she will step  down on Aug. 31, 2006, at the end of a five-year term during which she has  overseen record enforcement of workplace discrimination laws and outreach, and  repositioned the agency for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

“We have

Latest Q&A Fact Sheet Coincides with Anniversary of Landmark Disabilities Act

WASHINGTON – Cari M. Dominguez, 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 who are deaf or who have hearing impairments.  The new publication, the sixth in a series of Q&A documents about specific

Those with Targeted Disabilities Now Comprise Less than 1 Percent of Federal Workforce, EEOC Reports

WASHINGTON – People with targeted disabilities have dropped to less than one percent of the permanent federal workforce, continuing a long-term decline, according to data released today by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) during a public meeting on the topic.  Commission Chair Cari M. Dominguez called for aggressive steps to stem the decline.

Gradual Improvements Cited in Efficiency of Processing Discrimination Complaints

WASHINGTON – Cari M. Dominguez, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), today announced the issuance of the EEOC's Annual Report on the Federal Work Force for Fiscal Year 2005 (covering October 2004 through September 2005).  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

Number of Federal Employees with Targeted Disabilities Declining for Past Decade

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), moving to address the decade-long decline in the number of individuals with targeted disabilities employed by the federal government, will convene its next public meeting on Wednesday, June 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Eastern Time), 1801 L Street, N.W. (9th Floor Commission Meeting Room).

Invited panelists are scheduled to include senior leaders

Seven Employers Honored for Programs that Promote Access and Inclusion

WASHINGTON -- Cari M. Dominguez, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), today presented the agency’s second annual “Freedom to Compete Award” to seven employers from the private and public sectors for practices that promote access and inclusion.

“Today, we honor employers whose extraordinary efforts embody a key tenet of the Commission's goals: to ensure that all individuals have the freedom to compete

Case Centers on Racist Supervisor Involved in Firing Black Employee, Agency Says

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – In a significant legal victory for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Denver-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit has reversed a New Mexico lower court’s dismissal of a race discrimination lawsuit brought by the EEOC against BCI Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Los Angeles (BCI) – which owns Phoenix Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Bottling Company

WASHINGTON – Cari M. Dominguez, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), will present the second annual “Freedom to Compete Award” recognizing employers, organizations and individuals for initiatives that promote fair and open competition in the workplace.  Seven awards will be presented during a ceremony on Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., EEOC Headquarters, 1801 L Street, N.W.  A media availability and photo-op will immediately follow the awards ceremony.

The awards

FedEx Refuses to Cooperate in Federal Investigation

PHOENIX -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that it has filed a subpoena enforcement action in its race discrimination investigation of  FedEx Corporation to force the company to furnish key information on personnel procedures.

The EEOC is investigating a race discrimination charge by Tyronne Merritt against Fed Ex which accuses the company of engaging in a pattern and practice of discriminating against African Americans

More Than 12,300 Women Nationwide to Receive Monetary Relief in Landmark Case

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced that, pursuant to a court-filed consent decree, telecommunications giant Verizon Communications, Inc. will pay approximately $48.9 million to 12,326 current and former female employees in 13 states and the District of Columbia as part of a 2002 settlement of a landmark class action lawsuit alleging pregnancy discrimination against Verizon predecessor