EEOC votes to end annual race and gender workforce reporting

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has voted 2-1 to rescind longstanding regulations requiring private employers to file annual workforce reports on race and gender. The proposal also applies to unions, state and local governments and public schools. The Commission says the data collection costs employers $275 million annually. The National Women’s Law Center calls the ruling “a grave attack on civil rights enforcement.” “Today’s vote opens the door for discrimination to be swept under the rug,” Senior Counsel Katie Sandson says. “The agency will be hearing from us.” Anyone wishing to comment has 30 days to do so, and a public hearing will be held on Aug. 11. The EEOC will make a final determination shortly thereafter.