The EEOC: Pattern and Practice Imperfect

Abstract

"[It is time for a congressional review of the strategy being used to enforce employment discrimination laws," concluded a comprehensive report to Congress nearly a quarter century after the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. Because race discrimination in employment remains pervasive despite three decades of government effort, the strategies and methods employed in the past must be redefined. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency primarily responsible for combatting employment discrimination, has been hampered in its efforts by being constrained to focus on processing individual charges of discrimination. This Article argues that Congress should relieve the EEOC of its duty to process individual charges so that the agency can concentrate on combatting broader unlawful practices.