EEOC Visits the Evans School of Public Affairs

On April 14, 2010, Rodolfo Hurtado spoke about Equal Employment Opportunity laws and how their office protects employees from a variety of offenses. His Seattle Office covers Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska. The EEOC deals with 5 laws protecting against discrimination: Genetic Information Non-Disclosure Act (GINA), Equal Pay Act (EPA), Title VII (of the Civil Rights Act), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA). These laws protect against discrimination based on: gender, age (≥40), disabilities, color, nationality of origin, race, religion, and genetic information. All services provided to a complainant are free. 

Although the EEOC is a federal agency, they protect most employees and job applicant candidates who feel they have been discriminated against based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. Depending on the area of discrimination, different rules apply. All federal employees are covered for all types of discrimination, but for other types of employment the rules vary. If the agency that has discriminated against you is covered by the rules, you can file a complaint as an employee, a job applicant, former employee, or an applicant or participant in a training or apprenticeship program. For more information on requirements for filing a complaint, please visit the EEOC’s website. 

EEOC employees are responsible for investigation, mediation, conciliation, litigation and education. When a claim is submitted an officer will be assigned to investigate and make a finding whether there is or is not reasonable cause. If there is reasonable cause, the case will continue into conciliation and finally litigation. Litigation is the final piece, which most parties would like to avoid. Along the way, the EEOC officer will try mediation to resolve the issues. If you feel you have been discriminated against, you can contact the Seattle EEOC office to see what your next steps should be.

Location:	Federal Office Building 909 First Avenue Suite 400 Seattle, WA 98104-1061
Phone:	1-800-669-4000
Fax:	206-220-6911
TTY:	1-800-669-6820
Office Hours:	The Seattle Field Office is open Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Please call first to obtain information and/or schedule an appointment.