EEOC to Participate in Live Twitter Chat Equal Pay Day Tuesday

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will participate in a “Tweet Chat” on Tuesday, April 9 from 1-2 p.m. ET to discuss the pay gap between women and men. The Equal Pay Tweetchat, using the hashtag #talkpay, is sponsored by the National Women’s Law Center, with these distinguished guests:

·         U.S. EEOC Chair Jacqueline Berrien

·         Jocelyn Samuels, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice

·         U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD)

·         Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3)

During the chat, EEOC, along with other organizations, will answer questions on the issue of pay discrimination using its Twitter handle @EEOCNews.

The EEOC seeks to heighten awareness of gender-based wage discrimination on Equal Pay Day, which is held annually in April to signify the point in the year that a woman must work to earn what a man made the previous year. According to the most recent data, women earn only 77 percent of what men earn in a full-time annual salary.

The EEOC has been at the forefront of the federal government’s effort to secure equal pay for women. As part of the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force created by President Obama, the Commission has undertaken important efforts to raise awareness and strengthen enforcement of wage discrimination laws. The 50^th Anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, enforced by the EEOC, will be commemorated this June.

The EEOC is the federal government agency responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination laws in the workplace.  Further information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.

Join EEOC for a Commemoration of Equal Pay Day

Join EEOC for a Commemoration of Equal Pay Day
Thursday, April 28, 2011, 10:30 – 1:30
EEOC Headquarters, 131 M Street N.E., Washington, DC
(Metro Red Line, New York Ave. Stop, M St. Exit)

10:30 – 11:30 Closing the Wage Gap – Perspectives on Government Enforcement of Federal Wage Discrimination Laws

 Jacqueline A. Berrien, Chair, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Christine M. Griffin, Deputy Director, Office of Personnel Management
Nancy J. Leppink, Acting Administrator, Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor
Sara Manzano-Diaz, Director, Women’s Bureau, Department of Labor
Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Department of Justice
Patricia A. Shiu, Director, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Department of Labor

11:30 – 12:30 Strategies for Closing the Wage Gap

Cecelie Counts, Legislative Representative, AFL CIO
Deborah Gillis, Senior Vice President, Membership & Global Operations, Catalyst
Katherine M. Kimpel, Partner, Sanford Wittels & Heisler, Lead Counsel to the Plaintiffs in Velez v. Novartis
Lisa Maatz, Director of Public Policy, American Association of University Women

12:30 – 1:30 Informational Fair: Learn What YOU Can Do to Close the Wage Gap

RSVP here.  Please arrive 15-30 minutes early and bring a government issued photo identification card to facilitate security screening

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Commission To Meet On Combating Human Trafficking And Forced Labor

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, January 19, at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Time), at agency headquarters, 131 M Street, N.E. In accordance with the Sunshine Act, the meeting is open for public observation of the Commission’s deliberations.

The Commission will hear from invited panelists on government-wide efforts to combat human trafficking and forced labor, especially in agricultural industries. The meeting agenda includes:

Panel 1: Overview and Government-wide Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking

·        Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State

            Panel 2: Labor Trafficking and Exploitation

·        Hilary Axam, Acting Director, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section, Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit

·        Anna Park, EEOC Regional Attorney

·        Sathaporn Pornsrisirisak, Charging Party from EEOC v. Trans Bay

·        Panida Rzonca, Program Associate, Thai Community Development Center L.A.

·        Ana Vallejo, Supervising Attorney, Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center

Panel 3: Strategies and Tips from Non-Governmental Organizations for Cases Involving Trafficking

           

·        Daniel Werner, Deputy Legal Director, Immigrant Justice Project, Southern Poverty Law Center

·        Florrie Burke, co-Chair of Freedom Network USA

           

           

A brief question-and-answer session with EEOC Commissioners will follow each panel discussion.

Seating is limited and it is suggested that visitors arrive 30 minutes before the meeting in order to be processed through security and escorted to the meeting room.  

The Commission agenda is subject to revision. Additional information about the hearing, when available, will be posted at http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/meetings/index.cfm.

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.   Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.