This month, Jon Vegosen briefs us on important developments regarding EEOC charges and shares information about a significant number of new laws.
Workplace Discrimination Charges Near Record Number
The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced earlier this month that, during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009 it received more than 93,000 workplace discrimination charges nationwide and obtained relief for victims totaling more than $376 million.
It is the second highest number of charges the EEOC has received. (The enforcement and litigation statistics can be found on the EEOC’s website.)
According to an EEOC release, the “data show that private sector job bias charges (which include those filed against state and local governments) alleging discrimination based on disability, religion and/or national origin hit record highs.” In addition, the number of charges claimed age-based discrimination reached the second-highest level ever. The EEOC also reported that, continuing “a decade-long trend, the most frequently filed charges with the EEOC in FY 2009 were charges alleging discrimination based on race (36%), retaliation (36%), and sex-based discrimination (30%). Multiple types of discrimination may be alleged in a single charge filing.”
The EEOC suggested that the level of charges filed “may be due to multiple factors, including greater accessibility of the EEOC to the public, economic conditions, increased diversity and demographic shifts in the labor force, employees’ greater awareness of their rights under the law, and changes to the agency’s intake practices that cut down on the steps needed for an individual to file a charge.”
Hundreds of New Laws Take Effect in January
To bring cheer to the New Year, the Illinois legislature passed hundreds of new laws that took effect on January 1, 2010. Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn Ltd. (FVLD) has a tradition of publishing a January newsletter that contains a selection of new laws that may affect employers. This year’s January newsletter discusses, among other things, E-Verify in Illinois, Order of Protection Status under the Illinois Human Rights Act, Restrictions on Cell Phone Use While Driving, and the Illinois Equal Pay Act. For more information on these and other developments, visit the FVLD website.
Jon Vegosen is a founding member of Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn Ltd. and has more than 33 years experience practicing law. He is nationally recognized for his work in labor and employment relations and is sought after as an author and spokesperson on labor and employment issues.
Tags: EEOC, employment law, Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn, FVLD, Illinois legislature, January 2010, Jon Vegosen, legal updates, workplace discrimination
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