The U.S. Senate confirmed Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chair Charlotte Burrows for a third five-year term on Nov. 8, preserving the commission's Democratic majority.
"I'm honored and grateful to be able to continue to serve at the EEOC," Burrows said in a press release. "The EEOC's work upholds our nation's core values of equal opportunity, dignity, and respect for all. We must use all the tools at our disposal to enforce and realize the promise of our civil rights laws."
No Republicans in the Senate supported her nomination. "Since President Biden made her chair in 2021, there has been a troubling pattern of partisanship, mismanagement, and a lack of transparency at the EEOC," Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said at a hearing on Oct. 25. "The commission has established a pattern of ignoring congressional intent and clear statutory language to insert their own political agenda."
Before her appointment to the EEOC, Burrows served as associate deputy attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as general counsel for civil and constitutional rights for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. She also served as deputy chief of the employment litigation section at the DOJ's civil rights division and as a judicial clerk for the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
We've collected a group of articles on the news from SHRM Online and other trusted sources.
Party-Line Vote
The Senate's vote to confirm Burrows was 51-47 along party lines. Burrows was originally nominated to the EEOC by former President Barack Obama in 2014 and was unanimously reconfirmed by the Senate in 2019.
The EEOC recently released draft guidance on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and workplace harassment. Burrows has indicated that, in addition to the release of this guidance, she is prioritizing equal pay. She has expressed an interest in reviving the EEOC's compensation data collection, raising concerns from employers.
Democratic Majority
The confirmation allows Burrows to continue serving through 2028. Burrows forms a 3-2 majority on the commission with fellow Democratic appointees Jocelyn Samuels and Kalpana Kotagal, the latter of whom was confirmed this summer following a protracted wait. Keith Sonderling and Andrea Lucas are the two Republican commissioners.
(Politico and SHRM Online)
Ramping Up Enforcement
Recent federal data shows the EEOC is cracking down on unlawful workplace practices. The EEOC filed 143 discrimination or harassment lawsuits in fiscal year 2023, according to a recent report by the agency. This represents a more than 50 percent increase over the filings from fiscal year 2022.
The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL's) Wage and Hour Division and the EEOC will be working more closely together to enforce workplace laws across the country. The two agencies signed a memorandum of understanding that took effect Sept. 13.
(SHRM Online and SHRM Online)
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