Timeline of Recent Events in Battle to Keep EEOC Focused on Its Civil Rights Mission

Fiscal Year 2001 EEOC full time equivalents 2,924.

August 2001
Cari Dominguez sworn in as Chair of EEOC. First act as Chair was to authorize an agency wide hiring freeze.

Fiscal Year 2002
EEOC full time employees: 2,787.

January 2003
EEOC commits to GSA that it will cut rent costs by 35%.

April 2003
Congress provides EEOC emergency supplemental funding to avoid furloughing entire agency due to budget shortfall.

September 2003
Chair Domingez calls Commission meeting on the subject of restructuring EEOC.

Fiscal Year 2003
EEOC full time employees: 2,617. With loss of staff, EEOC loses ground it had gained in the battle to control its backlog. Backlog increases to 29,368.

March 2004
Chair Dominguez testifies before House Appropriations Subcommittee. She is chastised for soliciting bids for a privatized call center without first receiving Congressional approval.

March 2004
EEOC’s Washington Field Office launches pilot triage system for Federal EEO cases. AFGE attacks program for limiting access to hearings and discovery and bypassing regulatory procedures.

June 2004
Rep. Tubbs Jones (D-OH), a former EEOC Trial Attorney, sponsors letter opposing restructuring and call center. Letter garners 102 Co-sponsors.

July 2004
Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) sponsors letter opposing restructuring and call center. Letter garners 29 Co-sponsors.

September 2004
In a divided vote, EEOC Commissioners approve entering into a $4.9 million contract with Pearson Government Solutions to run a two year privatized call center pilot program. Thirty-six telemarketers will answer calls from the public using scripts. EEOC employees, mostly Federal investigators, had been answering the public’s inquiries since the agency was founded.

September 2004
Republican and Democratic leaders of EEOC’s House Appropriations Subcommittee authorize the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review EEOC’s restructuring proposals.

Fiscal Year 2004
EEOC full time employees: 2,462. Backlog of cases is now close almost 30,000.

December 2004
Congress passes fiscal year 2005 budget. Final budget language requires EEOC not to implement any restructuring without notifying appropriators. Also, EEOC is not to allow field personnel levels to drop lower in 2005 than 2004 levels.

March 2005
After a one month pilot in three offices, EEOC transfers all calls to its 1-800 number to outsourced call center, staffed by 36 operators.

May 2005
EEOC releases a nationwide restructuring plan, which calls for the downsizing of a dozen offices. EEOC refuses public input, announcing that the Commission will vote on the plan within a week of its release.

May 2005
Civil rights groups and Congress demand that EEOC allow comment period and public hearing. EEOC continues with plans to hold immediate meeting to vote. EEOC abruptly cancels meeting twenty minutes after it was supposed to start.

June 2005
EEOC bows to pressure, allowing the public to submit feedback. Also, with only a week’s notice EEOC relents and calls for a public forum. The forum is held when two major stakeholder groups are holding annual conferences.

June 2005
Rep. Tubbs Jones (D-OH) offers amendment to prevent EEOC from using funds to close EEOC offices or reduce staff. Amendment fails by narrow margin. Amendment language does go onto influence appropriations Committee language.

July 2005
In a divided vote, EEOC’s Commissioners vote in favor of restructuring plan, which downgrades 12 field offices including 8 District Offices.

August 2005
Appropriations Chairman Wolf (R-Va.) puts EEOC restructuring on hold, while awaiting results of GAO report.

Fiscal Year 2005
EEOC full time employees: 2,381. Backlog grows to 33,562.

October 2005
GAO releases report on EEOC restructuring. Criticizes agency’s disorganized approach to restructuring and failure to consider all recommendations. Nevertheless, House appropriators release hold on EEOC restructuring. Senate appropriators remain opposed to the plan.

January 2005
EEOC implements restructuring plan, despite never receiving Senate approval. On January 1, 2006, EEOC downgrades twelve field offices.

February 2006
Administration releases Fiscal Year 2007 Budget, which proposes to cut EEOC’s budget by over $4 million. EEOC’s budget anticipates growing backlog to top 47,000 in 2007.

March 2006
Bipartisan letter spearheaded by Rep. Tubbs Jones (D-OH) and Rep. McCotter (R-OH) opposes EEOC budget cut and advocates discontinuing call center pilot. Letter gains 113 Co-sponsors.

April 2006
National Council of EEOC Locals, No. 216, AFGE/AFL-CIO, EEOC’s employee’s Union, announces results of year long survey of the call center. 79% of EEOC employees rated the call center unsatisfactory. 85% of employees responded that calls increased or stayed the same. 91% report that call center does not save time.

May 2006
EEOC announces to staff that it will offer “early outs” and is requesting approval of “buy outs” to encourage retirements. Employees must be off the payrolls by June 30, 2006.

June 2006
EEOC’s Inspector General expected to release evaluation of the call center.

June 2006
House mark up of appropriations bill which includes EEOC budget.

July 2006
EEOC expected to vote on extending call center contract to five years at a cost of $12 million.

September 2006
EEOC’s contract with Pearson Government Solutions for national call center set to expire, if not extended.