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WASHINGTON -- Ida L. Castro was sworn-in today as the Chairwoman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the first Hispanic female to serve in this capacity. Ms. Castro was nominated by President Clinton on April 2 and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 21. She fills the vacancy left by Gilbert F. Casellas, who resigned as Chairman at the end of 1997.

"I am extremely honored to serve the

MIAMI -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that a federal judge has ordered Joe's Stone Crab, Inc. (Joe's) to institute mandatory recruiting and hiring procedures to remedy past discrimination against women who applied for jobs as food servers, and to ensure fair hiring practices in the future. Yesterday's ruling by Federal District Court Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley concludes the damages phase of EEOC's sex discrimination lawsuit against the

* * * Enforcement Statistics to be Posted on Web Site * * *

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that the agency's pending inventory of discrimination charges has been sliced nearly in half, down from approximately 111,000 charges in fiscal year (FY) 1995 to 57,871 at the close of the third quarter (June 30) of FY 1998. The latest enforcement statistics also show the number of charges

NORMAL AND CHICAGO, ILL. -- Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America, Inc. (MMMA) and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that they have reached a $34 million settlement, subject to court approval, that resolves all claims in the lawsuit filed on April 9, 1996, by the EEOC on behalf of a class of current and former MMMA employees who were subjected to an alleged pattern and practice of sexual

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that it is publishing a final legislative regulation governing waivers of rights and claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA). The regulations will appear in the Federal Register on Friday, June 5, 1998, and will be effective 30 days after publication.

Under section 7 (f) of the ADEA, added by the Older Workers Benefit Protection

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today the release of comprehensive guidance on the prohibition against retaliation aimed at individuals who file charges of employment discrimination or who participate in the investigation of an EEO charge.

The Supreme Court addressed the issue of retaliation last year, in Robinson v. Shell Oil Company. The Court made it clear that employers are prohibited from retaliating against former employees as well as

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today proposed changes to its regulations governing the procedures for federal employee discrimination complaints as part of the Commission's broader efforts to improve the effectiveness of its operations. The proposed changes, published in the Federal Register as a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), are the result of a nearly two-year process.

In signing the Notice, EEOC Chairman Paul M. Igasaki

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today a ground breaking settlement of agency litigation against Israel Discount Bank (IDB) of New York under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The lawsuit charged IDB with engaging in disability-based discrimination by offering a long term disability (LTD) policy, insured by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, that limits benefits for individuals with mental conditions

* * * Largest in Agency History * * *

BOSTON -- Astra USA Inc., a pharmaceutical firm headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, with offices throughout the United States, will pay $9,850,000 plus interest to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The Complaint and a Consent Decree signed by the parties were filed today with The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts

WASHINGTON -- The report of a recent special Task Force examination of noteworthy equal employment opportunity policies, programs, and practices in the private sector will be discussed at the next meeting of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The meeting will be held Thursday, January 29, 1998, at 2 p.m. in the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Conference Room (9th floor), 1801 L Street, N.W.
The public is urged to attend the open

CHICAGO -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) scored a major legal victory yesterday in its class action sexual harassment lawsuit against Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America, Inc. Ruling in EEOC's favor, Federal District Court Judge Joe Billy McDade held that the agency could pursue its sexual harassment lawsuit as a class action "pattern or practice" suit. Mitsubishi had argued that a class action "pattern or practice" approach was not workable

WASHINGTON -- Continuing in its efforts of technical assistance, outreach, and education, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released the Task Force Report on "Best" Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policies, Programs, and Practices in the Private Sector. The report, which is intended to offer assistance to all employers and especially to smaller and mid-sized companies, identifies "best" EEO practices of companies around the country and describes their approaches to address workplace discrimination

WASHINGTON -- On December 16, 1997, President Clinton announced the recess appointment of Paul M. Igasaki to serve as a Commissioner and Vice Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Vice Chair Igasaki will serve as a recess appointee. He was nominated for a second term on July 31, 1997, and his nomination is currently pending before the Senate. According to the White House, the announcement "will ensure a functioning Commission with a voting

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today the release of the Enforcement Guidance on Application of EEO Laws to Contingent Workers Placed by Temporary Employment Agencies and Other Staffing Firms. The guidance clarifies how the employment discrimination statutes apply to individuals who are hired by temporary employment agencies, contract firms, and other staffing firms, but whose working conditions are controlled in whole or in part by the businesses to

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that it has entered into contracts with the Fair Employment Council of Greater Washington, D.C., and the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago to conduct pilot projects to study the use of employment "testers" to detect hiring discrimination. The localities in which the pilots will be conducted have not yet been selected.

Explaining that testers have been successfully used for years in areas

MILWAUKEE -- Highlighting the success of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's new mediation program, the EEOC and U S WEST Communications today announced a settlement agreement involving the innovative new mediation process and a third-party mediator to reach a mutually agreeable resolution of a disability discrimination claim dating back to 1993 that affected 27 people.

Gilbert F. Casellas, Chairman of the EEOC, praised the settlement and the role of mediation as an alternative

WASHINGTON -- The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance federal-state communication, cooperation, and coordination in the enforcement of the civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination in employment.

According to EEOC Chairman Gilbert F. Casellas, "This agreement recognizes the importance of the partnership between the federal and state governments in

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today the release of the Enforcement Guidance on Sex Discrimination in the Compensation of Sports Coaches in Educational Institutions. The guidance, which was approved by the bi-partisan Commission, clarifies how the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 apply to sex-based differences in the compensation of sports coaches.

According to EEOC Legal Counsel, Ellen

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that its Internet home page now includes a small business information fact sheet highlighting select issues of particular interest to small businesses. The new fact sheet can be found by clicking on "Facts About Employment Discrimination" under the EEOC's home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.eeoc.gov

"The small business addition to EEOC's home page addresses the shared concerns

WASHINGTON -- Based on the recommendations of an internal Working Group of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency is preparing to go forward with suggested ways to improve and streamline the federal sector EEO complaint processes. The recommendations, which represent the beginning of a mechanism for change, will make the EEO process more effective in addressing discrimination in the federal sector.

The Working Group was established by EEOC Chairman Gilbert

The EEOC family was saddened to learn today of the death of Evan J. Kemp, Jr. I have been honored to carry on some of the important work that he initiated during his six-year tenure -- the last three as Chairman -- at the Commission. His legacy is sure to include his leading role in the development and passage of what has been called the most important civil rights legislation since the Civil Rights Act

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued the Policy Statement on Mandatory Binding Arbitration of Employment Discrimination Disputes as a Condition of Employment, supporting its position that agreements that mandate binding arbitration of discrimination claims as a condition of employment are contrary to the fundamental principles of employment discrimination laws. The Commission previously announced its policy on this matter by a motion passed on April 26, 1995.

The

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued Enforcement Guidance on how to determine when an employer has a sufficient number of employees to be covered under the laws enforced by the agency. The guidance is issued in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission & Walters v. Metropolitan Educational Enterprises, Inc.

The guidance analyzes the Supreme Court's ruling and its impact on the EEOC

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued policy guidance clarifying that the right of an individual to file a charge of employment discrimination with the Commission cannot be waived. The guidance also states that an individual's right to testify, assist, or participate in a Commission proceeding cannot be waived.

The policy guidance explains that such waivers are contrary to EEOC's obligation to represent the public interest in the