Employees filed a record number of discrimination charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission this year, according to a report released by the enforcement agency.
The 99,947 charges received account for all claims of discrimination based on race, sex, national origin, religion, age and disability, as well as claims filed under the Equal Pay Act and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. The EEOC also obtained a record-high $364.6 million in relief for individuals alleging discrimination during the fiscal year.
Additionally, the commission made historic progress on its charge backlog. According to the report, the number of pending charges has been reduced by ten percent. This marks the first time in several years the commission has not lost ground in dealing with its inventory. During fiscal year 2009, the commission’s backlog of charges grew by 15.9 percent. In fiscal year 2010, the EEOC was almost able to keep the backlog from growing. Despite receiving an extra 6,645 claims that year, the commission’s private-sector charge inventory increased by only 570 charges, which amounted to less than a one percent increase. Now, the commission has closed fiscal year 2011 with fewer charges pending than when the year began.
In a statement, commission chair Jacqueline A. Berrien said she is proud of this “significant progress.”