I am pleased to present the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC's) Performance and Accountability Report for fiscal year (FY) 2005. In FY 2005 we marked a significant milestone in the Nation's history-the EEOC's 40th anniversary of ensuring equal opportunity in America's workplaces. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 established the EEOC, and one year later, on July 2, 1965, the agency opened its doors and the journey toward equality of opportunity in the workplace officially began. As we mark this important milestone along the journey, we celebrate the progress made to date and strive to better position the agency for greater results in the days and years ahead.
The EEOC is making a fundamental shift by taking a more balanced approach of proactive prevention and strategic enforcement, with an emphasis on customer service and results. It is clear that the Commission can no longer serve solely as the "job police." We are striving to build partnerships to prevent discrimination, while taking on more high impact cases that can lead to positive workplace changes for a broad swath of the workforce. This report demonstrates our efforts to promote equality of opportunity in the workplace and enforce Federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.
In FY 2005, the Commission continued to build upon the successes of FY 2004. We made considerable progress toward becoming more customer-centered. We continued to reduce our inventory of hearings and appeals filed by Federal employees and maintained a manageable inventory of private sector charges.
…on July 2, 1965, the agency opened its doors and the journey toward equality of opportunity in the workplace officially began.
We settled several highly publicized cases, guaranteeing substantial changes in the affected work environments. In our effort to prevent discrimination, we launched the Freedom to Compete Awards to recognize best practices in workplace diversity. We also continued to develop innovative partnerships and outreach activities to educate young workers about their rights and responsibilities, as well as increase opportunities for individuals with disabilities through the President's New Freedom Initiative.
We continue to pursue organizational excellence through our model workplace efforts and implementation of the President's Management Agenda (PMA). We strive to set and implement the highest quality standards for equal employment opportunity, customer service, internal efficiency, and fiscal responsibility. The PMA is integral to our efforts to accomplish these objectives, and we have taken concrete steps to meet PMA standards. To improve customer service, we implemented a national contact center on a 2-year pilot basis. The Commission also approved a plan to reposition the agency's field structure. Specifically, this plan was designed to enhance service delivery and improve the efficiency of our operations. Strengthening financial management remains a priority and receiving an unqualified audit opinion for FY 2005 provides evidence of this priority. In addition, the agency's management and financial controls environment under the Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA) is sound. Based on a review of agency-wide information and the assurances of the agency's senior managers, I am reasonably assured that EEOC's systems of management and financial controls during FY 2005 were effective, and agency resources were efficiently used in support of our mission.
The journey toward our final destination of equal employment opportunity for
all is an exciting and challenging one. Over the past four decades, EEOC-working
closely with our stakeholder partners-has made enormous progress in removing
discriminatory barriers and leveling the playing field. FY 2005, with its solid
and meaningful results, moved us closer to our final destination.
Cari M. Dominguez
Chair
U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission
November 15, 2005
This page was last modified on December 2, 2005
