In its ongoing attempts to reduce discrimination and retaliation charge backlogs, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is considering changing its procedures for the processing of complaints by federal employees. The commission is currently circulating an informal paper in which it considers streamlining its federal sector process, by modifying it to more closely parallel its private sector process. Critics of the proposal claim that by eliminating in-depth EEOC investigations, it will put the considerable financial burden of establishing the evidence necessary for appealing initial decisions squarely on employees---depriving many lower-paid victims of the chance to receive a fair hearing.
See STEPHEN BARR, The Washington Post, June 12, 2002