On February 4, 2015, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a comprehensive set of fiscal year 2014 private sector data tables providing detailed breakdowns for the 88,778 charges of workplace discrimination the agency received. The fiscal year ran from Oct. 1, 2013, to Sept. 30, 2014.
Highlights are below:
- Nationwide, the EEOC received 88,778 charges in FY 2014—about a 5 percent reduction from FY 2013.
- The reduction was due in part to the government shutdown during the reporting period.
- 4,487 of the charges filed were filed in Illinois (5.1% of all charges filed).
- The percentage of charges alleging retaliation reached its highest amount ever: 42.8% Nationwide, 42% of all claims in Illinois.
- The percentage of charges alleging race discrimination, the second most common allegation, has remained steady nationwide at approximately 35 percent. The claims have decreased in IL, but still remain a high percentage of cases – 39%.
- The number of lawsuits on the merits filed by the EEOC’s Office of General Counsel throughout the nation was 133
- Monetary relief from cases litigated, including settlements, totaled $22.5 million.
- In Illinois, the charge numbers show the following breakdowns by bases alleged in descending order.
- Retaliation under all statutes: 1,885 (42% of all charges filed)
- Race (including racial harassment): 1,756 (39%)
- Disability: 1,362 (30%)
- Sex (including pregnancy and sexual harassment): 1,263 (28%)
- Age: 1,030 (23%)
- National Origin: 492 (11%)
- Religion: 154 (3.4%)
- Color: 130 (2.9%)
- Equal Pay Act: 54 (1.2%)
- Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act: 18 (.4%)
Nationwide, the charge numbers show the following breakdowns by bases alleged in descending order.
- Retaliation under all statutes: 37,955 (42.8 percent of all charges filed)
- Race (including racial harassment): 31,073 (35 percent)
- Sex (including pregnancy and sexual harassment): 26,027 (29.3 percent)
- Disability: 25,369 (28.6 percent)
- Age: 20,588 (23.2 percent)
- National Origin: 9,579 (10.8 percent)
- Religion: 3,549 (4.0 percent)
- Color: 2,756 (3.1 percent)
- Equal Pay Act: 938 (1.1 percent) but note that sex-based wage discrimination can also be charged under Title VII’s sex discrimination provision
- Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act: 333 (0.4 percent)
These percentages add up to more than 100 because some charges allege multiple bases, such as discrimination on the bases of race and color, or sex and retaliation.
Employers are consistently faced with complicated employment issues and questions. Waltz, Palmer & Dawson, LLC helps employers address these issues, assisting them in making difficult decisions.
The attorneys of Waltz, Palmer & Dawson, LLC have assisted various employers through the EEOC and Illinois Department of Human Rights Commission process, providing clients with advice and strategy while directly negotiated and communicating with the applicable governing body. We have extensive experience in assisting employers with daily employment questions, including analysis of a potential employee termination/hiring, Employee Classification Act application (1099 vs. W2 employees), wage/overtime issues, and IDOL audit/inspections. We also prepare new employee handbooks tailored to your business or review and suggest changes to existing handbooks.
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