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|  Pre 1965:Events Leading to the Creation of EEOC1965 - 1971: A"Toothless Tiger" Helps Shape the Law and Educate thePublic
The 1970s: The "Toothless Tiger"Gets Its Teeth - A New Era of Enforcement

The 1980s: A Period of Change andReassessment

The 1990s: New Laws, NewStrategies

The 2000s: Charting a Course forthe 21st Century
35 Years of Ensuring the Promise of OpportunityEEOC: The Early Years/www.real.com/player/index.html">images/download_player.gif" tppabs="https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/history/35th/images/download_player.gif" width="88" height="31" alt="RealPlayer icon">Speed: /www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/history/35th/videos/longintro-low.ram">28.8k/www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/history/35th/videos/longintro-medium.ram">56k/www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/history/35th/videos/longintro-high.ram">Cable/DSL/T1/www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/history/35th/videos/longintro-text.html">Transcript
Throughout its existence, the Commission has focused on but onesimply stated mission: the elimination of illegal discriminationfrom the workplace. To accomplish that goal, various approachessome dictated by statutory limitations and some by philosophicaland managerial considerations have been employed. This publicationwill address in particular how three influences explain many of thedecisions affecting how the Commission accomplishes itsmission.

Of all the influences, the direction and limitations imposed byCongress and by the Administration in power explain the major seachanges in EEOC's enforcement operations over time. Thus,conciliation, education, outreach and technical assistance were theprimary methods employed by EEOC at its inception because that waswhat the law permitted. After Congress gave EEOC litigationenforcement authority in 1972, that became a focal point for theagency. Today, the challenge manifests itself in achieving a whollyintegrated approach that strategically links all activities in adelicate balance that adjusts for new and innovative programs likealternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation. Thismechanism is now becoming an effective tool to resolve more andmore disputes.

A second major influence on Commission operations is theparticular enforcement philosophy of its commissioners. Inparticular, the Commission has at different times encouragedpursuit of large, complex, time-intensive systemic investigationsand lawsuits that involve mostly larger employers and significantnumbers of potentially affected class members. At other times, theCommission has emphasized an individual victim approach, designedto remedy particularized fact-intensive wrongs affecting one or afew identifiable individuals. In other eras, some mix between thesystemic and individual approach has held sway.

A third influence, connected with the other two, is the need toaddress particular problems or concerns in the operation of theagency. Thus, there have been times when EEOC has seen itsjurisdiction expand as a result of Congressional mandates andExecutive Branch reorganizations. Unfortunately, additionalstaffing and resources did not always accompany these expansions.Thus, the Commission often has had to modify its procedures toenable it to address increased enforcement responsibilities,without staff or funding increases concomitant with them. Suchactions have required EEOC to formulate innovative strategies toensure that the promise of opportunity moves closer tofulfillment.

EEOC's strength has been its ability to rise to each challenge.As we enter the 21st century, EEOC needs to continue to embody itscore values of fairness, effectiveness and efficiency, ensuringthat it continues to stand as the nation's premier civil rightsenforcement agency.

Next: Pre1965: Events Leading to the Creation of EEOC |

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