EEOC Has Record FY 2004 for Discrimination Payments

A news release from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said the agency also expanded its mediation program and efforts to prevent discrimination through outreach, education, and technical assistance.

According to the announcement, the agency’s FY 2004 highlights included the EEOC:

• received 79,432 charges of discrimination against private sector employers and state/local government entities. Race, sex and retaliation were the most frequently alleged bases of discrimination. EEOC resolved 85,259 charges, of which 19.5% were merit resolutions (with favorable outcomes for the charging party). More enforcement data is at http://www.eeoc.gov/stats/enforcement.html .
• filed 378 lawsuits (direct suits, interventions and conciliation enforcement actions), including 143 cases involving multiple aggrieved parties or victims of discriminatory policies. The agency resolved 347 merits suits, including 33 cases involving multiple aggrieved parties or victims of discriminatory policies.
• recovered more than $251 million through pre-litigation resolutions (conciliation, mediation and other administrative settlements), and $168 million through agency lawsuits filed in federal district court for a combined total of $420 million, the most monetary benefits ever obtained by EEOC in a single year.
• achieved a record 8,086 successful resolutions through the agency’s voluntary National Mediation Program resulting in $112 million in monetary benefits in addition to non-monetary benefits, such as changes in employer policies and reasonable accommodations for employees.