EEOC to Receive Pay Data

Recently, a judge ordered that employer pay data be collected by the EEOC by September 30, 2019.  This occurred after a legal battle spearheaded by employee advocacy groups.  The EEOC has utilized data from employers about race/ethnicity, gender, and job category since 1966 by using EEO-1 Reports.  During the Obama Administration, the EEOC added another component that required employers to report, which includes hours worked and pay information from employees’ W-2 forms by race, ethnicity and sex.  In August 2017, the Trump Administration, stopped the EEOC from collecting the data.

Why Does This Matter?

This matters for employees, because it is another method to use to whether there is systemic race/ethnicity discrimination or gender discrimination for claims brought under the Equal Pay Act.  The reporting requirement may also help to close the wage gap experienced for women and minorities because of  increased transparency on salary and wages for different position.  Because this is the first time the new reports have been collected, the impact won’t really be known for a few years.

In the meantime, Ohio employment attorneys like myself will continue to pursue claims against employers who have discriminated against employees in violation of the Equal Pay Act, or other forms of race/ethnicity or gender discrimination.  Should you or someone who know feel that they have been paid differently because of their race or gender, contact me know so we can schedule a free initial consultation to discuss your options in more detail.

James J. Hux is the Owner and Sole Attorney at Hux Law Firm, LLC. His practice areas include employment discrimination, personal injury, and general civil litigation throughout the State of Ohio.