Retaliation Charges Almost Half of EEOC's FY 2015 Filings

The types of employment discrimination charges filed with the EEOC always gives a good indication as to what is happening in the US workplace, even if is not always a perfect barometer.

As it does annually, the EEOC just released its report for fiscal year 2015 (which ended September 30). It reported that there were 89,385 charges of workplace discrimination filed, with retaliation making up almost half of these. It is therefore not a coincidence that the EEOC has also just issued a proposed guidance on retaliation, seeking public comment. More on this in an upcoming post.

The types of charges, from most to fewest, broke down as follows: Retaliation; Race; Disability; Sex; Age; National Origin; Religion; Color; Equal Pay Act; and Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (“GINA”).

The EEOC said that it resolved 92,641 charges, and won more than $525 million for discrimination victims.

Of significance to employers, the EEOC noted that it filed 142 lawsuits –an increase over last year’s 133, which included “100 individual lawsuits and 42 lawsuits involving multiple victims of discriminatory policies, of which 16 were systemic.”

It’s a detailed report, for those who want to drill down further.