NATIONAL COUNCIL OF EEOC L0CALS No 216, AFGE, AFL-CIO

Office of the President

c/o Denver District Office, EEOC

303 East 17th Avenue, Suite 510, Denver, Colorado 80203

Tele: (303) 866-1337   Fax: (303) 966-1900

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                    Contact: Gabrielle Martin

December 14, 2005                                                                                                                                    (303) 725-9079

 

EEOC RUSHES ANOTHER VOTE ON ITS CONTROVERSIAL PLAN

TO SHRINK THE CIVIL RIGHTS AGENCY

 

Despite the outrage the EEOC caused earlier this year for rushing a vote through on its controversial restructuring plan, the agency is repeating the same mistake.  With barely a week’s notice the EEOC has scheduled a meeting to vote on a modification to its restructuring plan.  The change will affect the boundaries of the soon to be demoted Baltimore District Office.  Under the plan, one third of EEOC’s District Offices will be downsized.

 

The EEOC has yet to receive required Congressional approval to actually implement its plan.  According to Gabrielle Martin, President of the National Council of EEOC Locals, No., 216, “This plan requires a complete overhaul.  Tinkering with Baltimore’s boundaries does nothing to increase frontline staffing or address other customer service needs.  It is simply not enough.”

 

Martin advocates for greater changes to the plan, “By calling this vote, Chair Dominguez has shown that this plan can be changed.  So now, let’s use this opportunity to make some real improvements: fix all the gerrymandered boundary changes; don’t cut the number of regional litigation offices; downsize the layers of management, rather than downsizing offices; and hire or redeploy more frontline staff.”

 

Substantive improvements cannot be accomplished in a week.  However, Martin predicts, “The public, the civil rights organizations, and Congress would rather the EEOC get it right, then get a bad plan right now.”

 

Martin also questions the timing of the meeting, “The EEOC has forgotten that it should answer to the people.  It would not be in this position if it had included the public, in creating a plan that made sense.  Scheduling a last minute meeting during the heart of the Holiday season is another way to cut out the public from this process.”

 

A December vote also means that EEOC’s newest Commissioner, Christine Griffin, will be shut out.  Griffin arrives at the EEOC in January to fill the remaining seat of the five members Commission.  “If the EEOC was confident this was a good plan, it wouldn’t be playing games with the vote,” says Martin.  “Make no mistake, the EEOC is voting to downsize civil rights enforcement.  A full Commission should have the opportunity to weigh in on this critical vote.”