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 12, 2005                                                                                       (303) 725-9079

 

EEOC TO GO FORWARD WITH REORGANIZATION WITH OR WITHOUT SENATE APPROVAL

 

The National Council of EEOC Locals has learned that EEOC Chair Cari Dominguez intends to “damn the torpedoes” and implement her agency reorganization plan with or without Senate approval.  The plan downgrades one third of EEOC’s district offices.  “The Chair has thrown down the gauntlet and is willing to risk angering Congressional appropriators.  Chair Dominguez is bound and determined to go forward for the sake of her legacy, before her appointment ends this summer.  Unfortunately, her legacy will be a smaller and less effective civil rights agency.” said Gabrielle Martin, National Council President.

On December 13, 2005, Chair Dominguez intends to announce that the reorganization is effective, and will be implemented January 1, 2006.  The new office structures will include more layers of reporting authorities and a deemphasized litigation program.  Regional Attorneys who will be losing their positions in the eight offices set to be downgraded, will be meeting shortly with the General Counsel’s office concerning their “new roles” and assignments.

Those who immediately suffer include charging parties, FEPAs and TERO organizations, and parties to litigation and mediation.  “Since those who hold our purse strings have not agreed to the changes, employees also will suffer as they continue to struggle to do more with less”, says Martin.  Throughout this reorganization debacle, the National Council has maintained that, given EEOC’s limited funding, this plan should be scrapped, because it does not save money, provide adequate staffing and resources, or make EEOC more customer oriented.

Given that the public will suffer, the National Council wonders why now?  Is it because there will be a new Commissioner come the beginning of 2006 and there might be another voice of dissension to add to the public outcry of the constituent groups?  Is it because the EEOC managers also determined that there was no case for the reorganization?  Or is it just a matter of defiance?  In any event, the National Council urges Chair Dominguez to rethink her course of action and its wisdom.