Pennsylvania Ranks Fourth Among All States In Number of Discrimination Charges Filed
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released comprehensive data on 2018 discrimination charges filed across the nation. Statistics show that the EEOC resolved 90,558 charges of discrimination and secured $505 million for victims in the private sector, state and local government, and federal workplaces. The agency reported to have received more than 519,000 calls to its toll-free number, as well as 34,600 emails and more than 200,000 inquiries in field offices.
Breakout of 2018 Discrimination Charges Filed In Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania ranked fourth among all states with a total of 4,462 charges filed. A breakout of the charges filed in the state shows the most frequently filed charge was disability (1,665 cases), followed closely by retaliation (1,640); sex (1,381); race (1,179) and age (1,014).
Breakout of National 2018 Discrimination Charges
On a national level the 2018 data shows that retaliation continued to be the most frequently filed charge, followed by sex, disability and race. Notably, the federal agency received 7,609 sexual harassment charges – an increase of 13.6% from the previous year.
Following is a breakdown of the discrimination charges filed across the nation:
- Retaliation: 39,469 (51.6% of all charges filed)
- Sex: 24,655 (32.3%)
- Race: 24,600 (32.2%)
- Age: 16,911 (22.1%)
- National Origin: 7,106 (9.3%)
- Color: 3,166 (4.1%)
- Religion: 2,859 (3.7%)
- Equal Pay Act: 1,066 (1.4%)
- Genetic Information: 220 (.3%)
*The numbers above add up to more than 100% as a result of some charges having alleged multiple bases.
Complete data regarding 2018 EEOC charge receipts for each state can be found here.
Do you have comprehensive anti-harassment policies and procedures in place?
Harassment/Sensitivity/Civility training is highly recommended as a form of preventative training to educate and inform all managers, supervisors and employees that certain acts are not acceptable in the workplace. Your company’s preventative training should be:
- Championed by senior leaders
- Repeated and reinforced regularly (annually)
- Provided to employees at each level and location in the organization
- Tailored to the specific workplace and workforce
- Conducted in-person by qualified, interactive trainers
- Routinely evaluated by participants and revised as necessary
As the discrimination claims grow, is your company in need of an employee handbook review or sensitivity training? The experienced attorneys in our Employment and Labor Practice can assist your company with a comprehensive review of the training, policies, and mechanisms to guard against all forms of discrimination in the workplace.
Pittsburgh Employment Attorneys
Frank Botta has decades of experience counseling clients in employment matters. Please contact Frank at (724) 776-8000 or fbotta@lynchlaw-group.com for more information on preventative training programs for your management team or for assistance in understanding the current state of employment regulations and laws.
