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EEOC issues performance report

November 19, 2014

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission faced challenges from lingering effects of sequestration and the government shutdown, according to its performance report for fiscal year 2014, which ended Sept. 30.

“Despite these hurdles, the employees of the EEOC remain committed to meeting the needs, addressing the challenges, and seizing upon the opportunities of the 21st century workforce,” said EEOC Chair Jenny Yang. “Increased hiring achieved at the end of FY 2014 and investments in technology should enable us to more effectively investigate charges in a timely fashion, while also improving the quality of our intake and investigations.”

The EEOC secured $296.1 million in monetary relief for victims of employment discrimination in private sector and state and local government workplaces through mediation, conciliation and other administrative enforcement. The EEOC also secured $22.5 million in monetary relief for charging parties through litigation, and $74 million in monetary relief for federal employees and applicants.

The agency received 88,778 private sector charges in FY 2014, a decrease of about 5,000 charges from FY 2013. In addition, a total of 87,442 charges were resolved, 9,810 fewer than in FY 2013, which is likely due to the government shutdown and the effects of sequestration, according to the EEOC. A hiring freeze and attrition shrunk the number of agency staff between FY 2012 and FY 2013; however, the agency hired more than 300 staff at the end of FY 2014.

In FY 2014, the EEOC’s national mediation program secured 7,846 mediated resolutions out of 10,221 conducted. The agency obtained $144.6 million in benefits for individuals through mediations.

EEOC filed 133 merits lawsuits during FY 2014. This included 105 individual suits, 11 non-systemic class suits, and 17 systemic suits. Legal staff resolved 136 merits lawsuits for a total recovery of $22.5 million. At the end of the fiscal year, the EEOC had 228 cases on its active docket.

During the fiscal year, the agency completed 260 systemic investigations, resulting in 78 settlements and conciliation agreements securing approximately $13 million in monetary relief. Systemic lawsuits comprised 13 percent of all merits suit filings, and by the end of the year, represented 25 percent of all active merits suits, the largest proportion of systemic suits on EEOC’s active docket since tracking began in FY 2006.

In its federal sector program, the agency resolved 3,767 appeals. During FY 2014, the EEOC received 4,003 appeals of final agency actions in the federal sector, a 5.7 percent decrease from the 4,244 such appeals received in FY 2013.

The performance report is available here.