Federal Agencies Pledge to Keep Fighting Pay Disparity and Workplace Bias

Federal leaders who enforce anti-discrimination laws assured House members last week that they're still committed to protecting workers' civil rights despite lawmakers' criticism about the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC's) decision not to collect pay data—broken down by job category, race, sex and ethnicity—in the future.

During a House Education and Labor subcommittee hearing on Sept. 19, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., also raised concerns about decreased enforcement efforts and investigations by the EEOC and the Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs (OFCCP), which she said has negatively affected workers' civil rights protections.

"As our workplaces become increasingly diverse, we need the EEOC and the OFCCP to get back on track," Bonamici said.