Democrats urge EEOC to withdraw proposed complaint-process overhaul

Seventy-five congressional Democrats urged the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to withdraw a proposed rule changing how federal employees challenge workplace discrimination. In a Sept. 28 letter to Chairwoman Andrea Lucas, they said the changes could weaken safeguards and make claims slower to resolve.

The commission’s Republican majority voted 2-1 in August to propose eliminating or revising steps in the process. Under the proposal, employees would no longer be guaranteed a hearing, could not combine similar cases into class actions and would lose an initial counseling stage. EEOC closed its 30-day public comment period Sept. 28 after receiving more than 1,700 comments.

The proposal drew objections from former commission leaders, worker and civil-rights groups, and the commission’s sole Democratic member. Lucas said the changes are intended to streamline the process and cited lengthy waits for relief in cases where discrimination was found.

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