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Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.-Friday, December 11, 2015

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Introduction

Many thanks to the Department of Justice for hosting this discussion. Thank you, Vanita [Gupta], for that warm introduction and for your strong leadership on policing issues. Vanita and her colleagues at DOJ have been invaluable partners to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

It is terrific to be here today to jointly announce our new research initiative, which will study barriers

Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.-Friday, December 11, 2015

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Good morning. I'm Charlotte Burrows, a Commissioner with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC. I'd like to welcome and extend my gratitude to all of you for joining us for this important event. I also want to thank Demetra [Nightingale] for the overview of the Department of Labor's diversity project. We look forward to continued collaboration with our friends at the

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today it is launching a new service that will enable individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing whose primary language is American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate directly with agency staff about issues of discrimination they may be facing. EEOC information intake representatives who are fluent in ASL will be available to answer questions and guide callers through the process of filing a charge of discrimination using videophones. 

The bases of workplace harassment extend beyond sex and race to include age, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity, a panel of experts told the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace (STF) in a public meeting held yesterday. A second panel told the STF how the creative use of social media can spread an anti-harassment message, especially among millennials, or give a platform for workers to bring complaints to public attention.

Beverage Distributors Company, a wholesale liquor distribution company in Colorado, will pay $160,000 and furnish other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Mayflower Seafood of Goldsboro, Inc., violated federal law by subjecting a female employee to a sexually hostile work environment and retaliating against her after she complained about the harassment and filed criminal charges against the harassers, the agency charged in a lawsuit filed today.

Joy Underground Mining, LLC, trading as Joy Mining Machinery, violated federal law when it required applicants to provide family medical history as part of the hiring process, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it announced today.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace (STF) will hold its third public meeting on Monday, December 7, 2015, from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), at EEOC headquarters, 131 M Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 

Rayford O. Irvin has been named director of the Houston District Office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace will hold its third public meeting on Monday, December 7, 2015, from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), at EEOC headquarters, 131 M Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.

CFS Health Management Inc., dba Shefa Wellness Center, a Canton, Ga.,  medical practice specializing in cosmetic skin care treatments, will pay $37,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Suffolk Laundry Services, Inc. will pay $582,000 to eight former employees to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).  The Southampton, N.Y.-based commercial laundry service also agreed to a four-year consent decree barring discrimination, instituting new procedures, and mandating training on sexual harassment to ensure that the kind of abuse that led to this lawsuit does not happen in the future.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued two documents addressing workplace rights for individuals with HIV infection under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), including the right to be free from employment discrimination and harassment, and the right to reasonable accommodations in the workplace.

OHM Concessions Group, LLC, which operates Dunkin' Donuts stores at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), will pay $151,000 and furnish significant equitable relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Cintas Corporation, a major uniform manufacturer and supplier, will pay $1,500,000 to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Correct Care Solutions, LLC, a Kansas corporation that provides medical services to incarcerated people in correctional institutions nationwide, discriminated against an employee with a disability when it forced her to take medical leave and then unlawfully discharged her, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) achieved record results in its enforcement efforts during fiscal year 2015, which ended Sept. 30, the agency reported in its annual Performance and Accountability Report published today.

Hoeganaes Corporation will pay $47,500 and furnish other significant equitable relief to resolve a lawsuit for disability discrimination filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. 

D&S Shipley Donuts, dba Shipley's Donuts, a Katy, Texas-area franchise, will pay $45,000 and furnish other relief to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Major nationwide retail grocery store chain Kroger Limited Partnership I, Delta Division will pay $42,500 as part of the settlement of a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) the agency announced today.

Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), the law enforcement division of the TBTA Operating Force, will pay $206,500 and furnish other relief to resolve charges of pregnancy discrimination brought by female Bridge and Tunnel Operating Force Officers (BTOFOs), the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), announced today.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Republic of Ecuador today committed to work together to combat employment discrimination. In a ceremony at EEOC's Washington, D.C. headquarters, EEOC Chair Jenny R. Yang and Ecuadorian Ambassador Francisco Borja Cevallos signed a national Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) creating a partnership between local consulates and EEOC field offices nationwide.

The Memphis District Office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will join several other government and educational entities in a continuing legal education seminar (CLE) on Nov. 12 at the National Civil Rights Museum, the federal agency announced today. The CLE is titled Journey to Justice: The Role of Law in Affecting Social Change as Examined Through the Legacy of Constance Baker Motley, Advocate and Jurist.

It is with great sadness that EEOC mourns the loss of former Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien, who passed away on Monday, November 9, 2015.