WASHINGTON—The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recorded a record number of discrimination charges and record value of monetary awards in fiscal 2011, the EEOC said Wednesday.
The federal agency received a record 99,947 discrimination charges in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the highest number in its 46-year history, the EEOC said in a statement.
In fiscal 2010, the agency said it received 99,922 such charges due to factors that include economic conditions; increased diversity and demographic shifts in the labor force; employees' greater awareness of the law; and improvements in its intake practices, consumer services and public accessibility.
The EEOC said monetary benefits for victims of workplace discrimination totaled more than $364.6 million in fiscal 2011—also the highest in its history. That compares with $319 million in monetary benefits in the previous year.
NEW YORK—A New York federal judge has given final approval to the settlement of an age discrimination case filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against AT&T Inc.