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Commission Vote Against Extending National Contact Center Likely to Disrupt Service

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) called on the public to be patient when contacting the federal agency during its continuing transition to an in-house customer response system staffed by federal workers, in the wake of today's 2-2 vote nixing a three-month extension of the National Contact Center (NCC) contract.

"Unfortunately, today's

SAN JUAN, PR – La Comisión de Igualdad de Oportunidades en el Empleo  de los Estados Unidos (EEOC), junto a la Unidad Anti-Discrimen del Departamento  del Trabajo del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, la Comisión de Derechos  Civiles de Puerto Rico, y el Concilio Puertorriqueño contra el Racismo,  convocará una discusión pública sobre el tema del Racismo y el discrimen por  color en el empleo existentes en Puerto Rico.

El

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will hold its next open meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 10:00 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.
• Obligation of funds for a three-month extension of the

EEOC Says Helmerich & Payne Subjected Black Workers to Racist Behavior on Oil Rig

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.  -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced the  settlement of a discrimination lawsuit for $290,000 and significant injunctive  relief against Helmerich  & Payne International Drilling Co. (H & P) on behalf of African American men who were  subjected to a racially hostile work environment on an oil rig. H & P is an energy oriented

EEOC Wins Jury Verdict for Two Fired Customer Service Technicians

JONESBORO, Ark.  – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced a  favorable jury verdict of $756,000 in a religious discrimination lawsuit  brought against AT&T Inc. on behalf of two male customer service  technicians who were suspended and fired for attending a Jehovah’s Witnesses  Convention.

The jury of nine women and three  men awarded the two former employees, Jose Gonzalez and Glenn Owen 

Federal Agency Identifies Internet Fraud Being Perpetrated Against Employers

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) late today notified the business community and general public to a "phishing" e-mail circulating to companies that purports to be from the federal agency regarding a harassment complaint. The bogus e-mail contains a Trojan Horse Virus that is likely to harm a recipient's computer if the user clicks on the referenced web link and/or downloads the attached

Hispanic Employees Paid Less Than Non-Hispanics, Denied Promotion and Health Benefits, Federal Agency Says

NEW YORK – The U.S. Equal  Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today filed a complaint and entered  into a consent decree in federal district court with B & H Foto and  Electronics Corp., resolving a national origin discrimination case on behalf of  Hispanic workers at one of the largest retail sellers of photographic, computer  and electronic equipment in the metropolitan area.

WASHINGTON – Naomi C. Earp, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), today announced the formation of an Asian American and Pacific Islander Work Group that will examine this community's concerns about federal sector employment, special emphasis programs and the complaints process.

"The work group will be tackling these urgent and vexing problems which the Commission plans to address at a meeting to be held in 2008," Chair Earp said. 

Law Firm Partners Brought Within Protection of Federal Law Against Employment Discrimination

CHICAGO – The international law firm of Sidley Austin LLP will pay $27.5 million to 32 former partners who the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged were forced out of the partnership because of their age, under a consent decree approved by a federal judge. (EEOC v. Sidley Austin LLP, N.D. Illinois No. 05 C 0208.)

The EEOC brought the suit 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.

EEOC Says Financial Services Giant Demoted Class of Pregnant Women, Reduced Their Pay

NEW YORK, N.Y.– Bloomberg L.P., the news and financial services company, violated federal law by discriminating against a class of female employees who became pregnant and took maternity leave, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charges in a lawsuit filed today under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.

In its suit, the EEOC

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

Supervisors Forced Sex on Hispanic Female Workers, EEOC Charged

LAS VEGAS – Caesars Palace will pay $850,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.  The EEOC had charged that the Las Vegas resort/casino's Latina kitchen workers were subjected to repeated and sometimes severe sexual harassment.

In its 2005 lawsuit against Desert Palace, Inc., doing business as Caesars Palace

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted Aug. 10 to replace its National Contact Center (NCC) pilot with an in-house phone answering team and to allocate funds to hire a consultant to advise and assist the agency on transitioning to a decentralized configuration.

The NCC contract expires Sept. 20, and Congressional appropriators have proposed to eliminate funding for its continuation in the EEOC's Fiscal Year 2008 budget.  The Commission vote authorizes funding

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued a comprehensive new study examining the effectiveness and efficiency of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programs used by federal agencies to resolve job disputes.  The 38-page report, ADR in the Federal Sector EEO Process for FY 2006, is available on the EEOC's web site at http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/adr/adr_report_2006/index.html.

The report, which presents government-wide data (as submitted by agencies), addresses types of ADR techniques, sources of third

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

Latest EEOC-Employer Partnership Continues Trend with Corporate America

HOUSTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and CenterPoint Energy today announced the signing of a National Universal Agreement to Mediate (NUAM) to informally resolve workplace disputes through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) before an EEOC investigation or potential litigation occurs.

The mediation partnership marks the 153rd such national or regional agreement between the EEOC and a large employer (mainly Fortune 500 companies) and bolsters

WASHINGTON -- Naomi C. Earp, Chair  of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), today announced a  $20 million proposed consent decree resolving a systemic race discrimination  lawsuit against Walgreens, the Illinois-based national drug store chain.

The proposed settlement was filed  with U.S. District Judge G. Patrick Murphy of the Southern District of  Illinois, with a request for his preliminary approval (EEOC v. Walgreen Co.,  S.D. Il. 07-CV-172-GPM and Tucker v. Walgreen Co., S.D. Il

WASHINGTON  -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued revised  regulations on age discrimination in the workplace in accordance with a 2004  Supreme Court decision, General Dynamics  Land Systems, Inc. v. Cline. The  updated regulations, published in today’s Federal Register, are available on www.eeoc.gov.

  The  revised regulations clarify that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act  (ADEA) does not prohibit employers from favoring an older employee over a  younger one when both

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