EEOC Charges Escalate, Again

The EEOC recently announced that a record 99,947 employment discrimination charges were filed in Fiscal Year 2011. The EEOC’s data also shows:

• Through enforcement, mediation, and litigation programs, the agency obtained a record $455.6 million in relief for private sector, state, and local employees and applicants - a $45 million increase over last year.
• The mediation program reached record levels, both in the number of resolutions (9,831 - 5% up from last year) and benefits ($170,053,021 - up $29 million from last year).
• For the second year in a row, despite a record number of receipts, the Commission resolved more charges than it received with 112,499 resolutions (up 7,500 more from last year) - leaving 78,136 pending charges, a 10% decrease in its inventory. This was the first time in almost a decade the agency has seen a reduction.
• The EEOC filed 300 lawsuits, obtaining $91 million of relief, representing the third consecutive year of increased relief.
• Retaliation charges under all the statutes enforced by the EEOC were the most numerous — at 37.4% of all charges. Race discrimination charges were a close second at 35.4%. The three next most frequently-cited allegations were charges of sex discrimination - 28,534; disability discrimination - 25,742; and age discrimination - 23,465.
• The highest increase in monetary relief came from the EEOC’s efforts to enforce the ADA; the administrative relief obtained for disability bias charges increased by almost 36% to $103.4 million, compared to $76.1 million last year. Back impairments were the most oft-cited ADA impairment, followed by other orthopedic impairments, depression and diabetes.

The EEOC’s full report on its litigation and enforcement statistics can be found here.