Action Alert! Submit Public Comments Against the New Regulations Proposed by the EEOC

The Issue

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is planning to remove a long-standing set of data requirements for businesses that require them to summarize and report aggregate data on their employees’ race and sex. The mandate is enforced through Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against job applicants and workers based on race, religion, and sex. 

The Commission argues the data reports are inconsistent with equal employment opportunity law in a way that could raise constitutional concerns. In addition, they argue that the data collection is not “narrowly tailored” or “necessary” to enforce anti-discrimination statutes and that the burdens produced from creating the reports outweigh their “limited value”. 

This critical information on race and gender is key to helping address the wage equity gap problem. The data directly supports the Frances Perkins Act, an act which mandates two demands: requiring employers to include salary ranges in job postings, and allows the state to collect and publish aggregate data across sectors to track wage and workforce inequities by race and gender. If the EEOC removes the data requirement, it will make key data on race and gender less accessible which will make it difficult to track disparities and progress regarding marginalized populations like women of color.

What We Can Do

There is still time to speak out and prevent the proposed regulations! To create your own comment, use this link to submit it directly to the website to make your voice heard.