Job Discrimination Claims Up 9% in 2007
Job discrimination claims filed against private employers in the U.S. in 2007 rose 9 percent over filings in 2006, the largest year-to-year increase since 1993, according to a Press Release from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC states that the jump in filings -- which show double digit percentage increases in most types of discrimination, including race, sex, age, and disability -- may be due to greater employee awareness of the law, shifting economic conditions, and increased work force diversity. The Associated Press reports that between October 1, 2006 and September 30, 2007, 82,792 job discrimination complaints were filed with the EEOC, the agency that enforces most federal employment discrimination laws. In most job discrimination cases, an employee must file a charge with EEOC -- usually within 180 days from the date of the alleged violation -- before a private lawsuit may be filed in court.