KENNEDY: EEOC CHANGES WILL FURTHER UNDERMINE ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS

Washington, DC: Today the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission approved proposed changes to the form that employers use to track the race and ethnicity of their employees. Senator Kennedy sent the following letter to EEOC Chair Cari Dominguez yesterday urging her not to make these changes prior to the vote. There is a thirty day review period before the decision becomes final. “I am deeply disappointed at the outcome of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s vote,” Senator Kennedy said. “These changes create an inaccurate and incomplete picture of the workforce, and will undermine our efforts to monitor and combat racial discrimination in the workplace. The proposal is yet another shameful attempt by the Bush administration to weaken enforcement of our nation’s critical civil rights laws.” Below is the text of the letter: