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Help Avert a Crisis for American Workers:  Stop Cuts to Civil Rights Funding

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which protects federal and private sector employees from workplace discrimination, is facing a $4 million budget cut.  However, the EEOC’s Senate oversight committee, led by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, passed report language to save the EEOC from this budget cut.  The Senate report also defunds the agency’s outsourced call center, which means knowledgeable EEOC staff will once again answer calls from the public instead of scripted telemarketers.  In contrast, the House version cuts the EEOC’s budget, does not eliminate the call center or provide funding for needed staffing. Please help American workers by writing to your representatives and senators, and ask them to support and adopt the Senate Appropriations Report for the EEOC’s budget.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to urge you to adopt the Senate Appropriations Report for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which keeps the EEOC at level funding, rather than cutting its budget by $4 million dollars. The Senate report language also addresses the EEOC's staffing crisis and backlog, cuts government waste by defunding the EEOC's flawed call center pilot program, and demands oversight of the EEOC's controversial restructuring plan.

In contrast, the House version cuts the EEOC's budget by $4 million. The House version also does not address the EEOC's rising backlog which is expected to reach almost 50,000 by 2007, nor does it provide funds for replenishing staff lost due to attrition. While the House version acknowledges the problems of the EEOC's call center, as documented by the Office of the Inspector General, it does not take the necessary step, which the Senate takes, of defunding this failed pilot. The EEOC cannot afford to continue spending millions on script-reading telemarketers who fail to provide basic services.

Please help avert a crisis for American workers by supporting and adopting the Senate version of the EEOC's appropriations in conference committee.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
June 26, 2006