EEOC: Retaliation Claims Surpass Race During ‘Unprecedented’ Year

NU Online News Service, Jan. 12, 2:11 p.m. EST

Discrimination charge filings in the workplace approached “an unprecedented” 100,000 during the fiscal year 2010.

According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), filings from the private workplace rose to 99,922 for the year ending Sept. 30, 2010, up more than 7 percent from 93,277 the prior fiscal year.

The EEOC statement reasserts findings it disclosed in its Fiscal Year 2010 Performance and Accountability Report, first published on Nov. 15, 2010.

The EEOC said it resolved nearly 105,000 private sector charges and secured more than $404 million from employers—the highest level of monetary relief ever obtained by the EEOC to “promote inclusive and discrimination-free workplaces.”

For the first time ever, retaliation charges surpassed those for race to top the list of most frequently filed charges, the EEOC said. Race had been the most frequently filed charge since the EEOC began operations in 1985.

Allegations based on religion, disability and age each increased from the prior fiscal year, the EOCC said.

“Discrimination continues to be a substantial problem for too many job seekers and workers, and we must continue to build out capacity to enforce the laws that ensure that workplaces are free of unlawful bias,” said EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien in a statement.

Employment practices liability insurance experts have warned against potential claim fallout arising from the duration of the economic downturn recently, noting that people who have not been able to find jobs over a prolonged period may feel cornered into filing discrimination, retaliation and other employment practices claims.