Workers filed 8,000 fewer charges in Fiscal Year 2018 (October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018) when the EEOC took in 76,418 charges. This total is the lowest since Fiscal 2006 when the agency took in a little under 76,000 charges.

The “breakdown of charges” is as follows:

• Approximately 39,000 charges alleging retaliation;
• 24,600 charges alleging sex and/or disability and/or race-based discrimination;
• 7,600 sexual harassment complaints;
• 16,900 age-based complaints;
• 7,100 National Origin Complaints
• 3,160 Complaints of Color Discrimination; and
• 2,859 claims of Religious Discrimination;
• 1,066 claims of Sex-Based Pay Discrimination under the Equal Pay Act;
• 220 claims under the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (The Act blocks Employers from Discriminating against Workers Based on their own or their families Genetic Information)

It is also interesting to note that the EEOC in Fiscal Year 2018 resolved about 90,500 charges to drop its backlog of pending charges to fewer than 50,000.

The EEOC also provided a state-wide breakdown of charges filed by state. That breakdown provides the following:

State of Texas – 7,500 charges

State of Florida – 6,600 charges

State of California – 4,000 charges

State of Georgia – 4,000 charges

State of Illinois – 4,000 charges

State of Pennsylvania – 4,000 charges

State of Wyoming – 21 charges

The EEOC Chair, Victoria Linnic, took the position that the EEOC had a remarkable year working on behalf of individuals who experienced and/or complained about discrimination in their workplace.

Questions? Contact Attorney Walter Liszka in our Chicago office at (312) 629-9300 or by email at waliszka@wesselssherman.com