U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
If you believe you have been discriminated against by an employer, labor union or employment agency when applying for a job or while on the job because of your race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information, or believe that you have been discriminated against because of opposing a prohibited practice or participating in an equal employment opportunity matter, you may file a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). All laws enforced by EEOC, (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), except the Equal Pay Act (EPA), require filing a charge with EEOC before a private lawsuit may be filed in court.
To protect your legal rights, it is always best to contact EEOC promptly when discrimination is suspected. There are strict time limits within which charges must be filed. Please review the information for your state, and the specific charge filing instructions for this office.
The St. Louis office's hours of operation are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Members of the public can visit the office between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. to discuss filing a charge. If you have an employment discrimination question or if you wish to file a charge, please call the EEOC National Contact Center toll-free at 1-800-669-4000 or 1-800-669-6820 (TTY). You may also write the office at Robert A. Young Federal Building, 1222 Spruce Street, Room 8.100, St. Louis, MO 63103.
While no appointment is needed to file a charge in person, please contact the office if you are traveling a long distance or have limited time to verify that EEOC has jurisdiction and determine the best time to visit the office. In an effort to provide better customer service, EEOC staff may conduct either an interview in the EEOC office or a telephone interview. Although less time may be required, please allow at least 1 to 2 hours for an office visit. To avoid delay, please let the office know beforehand if you need special assistance, such as an interpreter, to file a charge.
Individuals who are interested in filing charges of discrimination are initially screened by an EEOC representative to determine whether your employment experiences are covered by the laws EEOC enforces. You may also use our online assessment and complete a questionnaire to be sent or taken to our office. (Note: our online assessment will be unavailable each week for up to 30 minutes, Saturday evening or Sunday morning.) The EEOC representative will ask questions about your allegations, about the evidence available to support the allegations, and about jurisdiction (whether the charge is timely, and the employer, charging party and subject matter are covered under the statutes enforced by EEOC).
Our staff will advise you whether your employment concern is covered by EEOC. If it is not covered, you will be provided with information on where you might receive assistance. If covered by EEOC, you will be advised on the procedures for filing a charge of employment discrimination with EEOC.
When completing the questionnaire you should be prepared to provide the following information:
Please be sure to read our information on time limits for filing a charge.