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EEOC private-sector discrimination charges decrease in 2013: Report

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The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received 93,727 private-sector charges of discrimination in its fiscal year 2013, ended in September, a decrease of about 6,000 charges from the prior three fiscal years, said the agency in a report issued Tuesday.

The total, however, still makes 2013 one of the top five fiscal years in terms of receipts, said the EEOC in its Fiscal Year 2013 Performance and Accountability Report.

In addition, the agency said, 97,252 charges were resolved, which was a drop of nearly 14,000 from fiscal year 2012.

“While this is a significant decrease in resolutions, it is also a remarkable achievement, given the decline in staffing and resources the agency faced in fiscal year 2013,” said the report.

The report says the average processing time to resolve charges dropped by 21 days to 267 days. “By improving the timeliness of charge resolution and the EEOC’s customer service efforts, these results better position the agency for fiscal year 2014,” says the report. “However, further gains may be tempered by the continuing hiring freeze and repercussions from the government shutdown.”

The agency also said it obtained a record $372.1 million in monetary relief for victims for private-sector workplace discrimination in fiscal year 2012, or $6.7 million more than was recovered last year.

“Overall, the agency secured monetary and nonmonetary benefits from more than 70,522 people through administrative enforcement activities including mediation, settlements, conciliations and withdrawals with benefits,” says the report.

The EEOC’s accomplishments are especially noteworthy in light of the extraordinary fiscal constraints and operational challenges in fiscal year 2013,” EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien said in a statement. “Despite these hurdles, the men and women of the EEOC remain committed to fulfilling our vision of achieving justice and quality in the nation’s workplaces.”

Copies of the EEOC’s annual Performance and Accountability Report are available here.

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