Federal agency releases fiscal year enforcement and litigation data
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) won $505 million for discrimination claims in 2018, according to information the agency recently released. The EEOC resolved 90,558 charges of discrimination. The comprehensive enforcement and litigation statistics for 2018, which ended September 30, 2018, are posted on the agency’s website, which also includes a detailed breakdown of charges by state.
In Illinois, the EEOC in 2018 received a total of 4,444 filings for discrimination complaints. The highest of those complaints involved workplace retaliation, which made up over 57 percent of Illinois. Racial discrimination was the second highest complaint, making up 35 percent of Illinois cases. The third highest number of complaints involved sex discrimination, which made up over 33 percent of the Illinois cases.
Nationwide, the agency reduced the charge workload by 19.5 percent to 49,607. It achieved this through deploying new strategies to more efficiently prioritize charges with merit, more quickly resolve investigations, and improve the agency’s digital systems.
In all 50 states, the EEOC in 2018 handled over 519,000 calls to its toll-free number. It received 34,600 emails and more than 200,000 inquiries in field offices, reflecting the significant public demand for the EEOC’s services.
“The EEOC had a remarkable year working on behalf of those who came to the agency having experienced discrimination in their workplaces,” said EEOC Acting Chair Victoria A. Lipnic. “Our fiscal year 2018 final statistics reflect significant recoveries for individuals through our administrative enforcement and our litigation program. The statistics also indicate the EEOC has been handling its workload in a more efficient manner, expanding tools to provide better, timelier service to the public while sharpening our focus on meritorious charges and those that advance the public interest. The statistics reflect the agency’s successes in taking advantage of new strategies to bring about the lowest inventory of private sector charges in a dozen years. Further, we cannot look back on last year without noting the significant impact of the #MeToo movement in the number of sexual harassment and retaliation charges filed with the agency. Last year was an incredibly important and productive year for the agency and my thanks go out to all of the staff who rose to the occasion,” added Lipnic.
The 2018 data show that nationwide, retaliation continued to be the most frequently filed charge filed with the agency, followed by sex, disability and race. The agency also received 7,609 sexual harassment charges – a 13.6 percent increase from FY 2017 – and obtained $56.6 million in monetary benefits for victims of sexual harassment. Specifically, the charge numbers show the following breakdowns by bases alleged, in descending order:
These percentages add up to more than 100 because some charges allege multiple bases.
EEOC legal staff filed 199 merits lawsuits alleging discrimination in fiscal year 2018. The lawsuits filed by the EEOC included 117 individual suits and 45 suits involving multiple victims or discriminatory policies and 37 systemic discrimination cases. At the end of the fiscal year, the EEOC had 302 cases on its active docket. The EEOC achieved a successful outcome in 95.7 percent of all district court resolutions.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to email updates.
EEOC Chicago District Office Moving
The Chicago District Office of the U.S. EEOC is moving to the Kluczynski Federal Building on Friday, May 17, 2019 and will open to the public on Wednesday, May 22
The Chicago District Office is responsible for processing charges of discrimination against private, state and local government employers in most of Illinois and for conducting hearings regarding complaints against federal government employers in this geographic area.
The Chicago District Office’s Administration, Enforcement (for private employer and state or local government employer investigations) and Hearings (regarding complaints against federal government employers) departments will be on the 18th floor. The office’s Legal and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) departments will be on the 29th floor.
The Kluczynski building is a federal building, and all visitors are required to go through security, including a metal detector, to visit the Chicago District Office.
The Chicago District Office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CST except federal holidays. Individuals wishing to file charges of discrimination against private employers or state and local employers may schedule an interview for time slots available at 8:45 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays. To schedule an appointment to file a charge of discrimination, visit https://publicportal.eeoc.gov/Portal/Login.aspx. Further information about filing a charge of discrimination at the Chicago District Office is located at https://www.eeoc.gov/field/chicago/.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov or by calling (800) 669-4000 or (800) 669-6820 (TTY). Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.
