Return to Home Page
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jennifer Kaplan
July 17, 2003 David Grinberg
(202) 663-4900
TTY: (202) 663-4494
EEOC Chair Commends Six Agency Heads for EEO Performance Improvements
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has posted the full text of its Annual Report on the Federal Work Force for Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 on the agency's web site at www.eeoc.gov. The report informs and advises the President and the U.S. Congress on the state of equal employment opportunity (EEO) throughout the federal work force. Data are presented both in individual agency profiles and in government-wide aggregate form, providing benchmarks against which to measure the EEO performance and fitness of each federal agency.
"The report card is out on the federal government's EEO performance and the overall grade is a C+," said Commission Chair Cari M. Dominguez. "The good news is that a number of agencies have worked hard to make their workplaces more inclusive and supportive of diversity. There has been some noteworthy progress, though not enough, in the work force participation of women and Hispanics. In addition, some agencies have made significant improvements in their EEO complaint management practices, as well as effective use of alternative dispute resolution programs, to successfully resolve disputes. The bad news is that we have a failing grade in the employment of individuals with targeted disabilities, as their numbers continue to decline. With the many management initiatives that have been introduced this year, we hope to report an improved grade for FY 2003."
The report includes data regarding the filing of EEO complaints and agencies' case management practices. In FY 2002, a total of 17,348 federal employees and applicants (down two percent from FY 2001) filed a total of 21,945 complaints (down six percent from FY 2001) alleging employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age and disability. The average processing time for agencies' investigation of complaints was 267 days. The average processing time for issuing final agency decisions without a hearing in complaints was 326 days, down from 402 in FY 2001.
Federal regulations at 29 C.F.R. Part 1614 provide EEO complainants with the right to request a hearing before an EEOC administrative judge after the employing agency has investigated the complaint. During FY 2002, the EEOC received 9,617 requests for hearings. The EEOC resolved 11,666 complaints at the hearings stage, a 24 percent increase over the previous year, lowering the hearings inventory pending at the end of the year to 10,072.
The same regulations permit complainants to appeal final decisions requested from an agency without a hearing and final agency actions following a hearing. Appeals are adjudicated by the EEOC's Office of Federal Operations (OFO). During FY 2002, OFO received 6,725 appeals, two percent fewer than the number received in FY 2001. OFO resolved a total of 9,452 appeals, including a 77 percent reduction in the number of cases older than 500 days. Of the 4,383 appellate decisions which addressed the merits of underlying discrimination claims, OFO made findings of discrimination in five percent of the cases, a 14 percent increase over the number of such findings in FY 2001. The year-end pending inventory was 4,809 appeals.
During FY 2002, complainants obtained approximately $143.1 million in total monetary awards as a result of EEO complaints closed by agencies, following a hearing, or on appeal.
Chair Dominguez recently sent a letter commending the heads of six federal agencies whose FY 2002 records reflected the greatest performance improvements for agencies of similar size in three EEO program areas. In the area of improving the average time to issue a final decision without a hearing, the Chair acknowledged the Consumer Product Safety Commission for its 73 percent reduction, the Smithsonian Institution for its 72 percent reduction, and the Department of Veterans Affairs for its 31 percent reduction. For improvements in the average time it took to conduct an EEO investigation, she recognized the Securities and Exchange Commission for its 57 percent reduction, the Smithsonian Institution for its 50 percent reduction, and the Department of State for its 44 percent reduction. For improvements in employee participation in alternative dispute resolution programs, the Chair commended the Railroad Retirement Board for its 42 percentage point increase, and the Department of State, which increased participation by 22 percentage points.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination in both the federal and private sectors. These include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Equal Pay Act; Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act; and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991. Further information about the agency is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.
This page was last modified on July 17, 2003.