{"html":"\t\n\t\u003C!-- Advertisement Script --\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022postid-375021 scrolltrace textContainer_Truncate\u0022 articlelisttitle=\u0022The Trump Administration Gutted the EEOC\u0022 articlelistlinks=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/society\/janet-dhillon-eeoc\/\u0022 article-post-id=\u0022375021\u0022 article-keyword=\u0022\u0027joe-biden\u0027, \u0027sexism\u0027, \u0027sexual-har\u0027\u0022 article-subject=\u0022\u0027business\u0027, \u0027inequality\u0027, \u0027jobs\u0027, \u0027racism-and\u0027, \u0027working-co\u0027\u0022 article-authors=\u0022\u0027bryce-c\u0027\u0022\u003E\n\t\n\t\t\u003Carticle id=\u0022url-title\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv id=\u0022tn_pixel_375021_1\u0022 style=\u0027height:0px; width:0px;\u0027\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv id=\u0022tn_pixel_375021_2\u0022 style=\u0027height:0px; width:0px;\u0027\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\u003Cheader 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8\/15, 2021, Issue\u003C\/a\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Ch1 class=\u0022article_title hide\u0022\u003EThe Trump Administration Gutted the EEOC\u003C\/h1\u003E\u003Ch1 class=\u0022title\u0022\u003EThe Trump Administration Gutted the EEOC\u003C\/h1\u003E\u003Ch2 class=\u0027subtitle\u0027\u003EAn inside account of how Janet Dhillon has hollowed out America\u2019s only workplace civil rights watchdog.\u003C\/h2\u003E\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022byline\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Ch2 class=\u0022author_name\u0022\u003EBy \u003Ca class=\u0022author\u0022 href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/bryce-covert\/\u0022\u003EBryce Covert\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca class=\u0022author-twitter\u0022 href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/@brycecovert\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ETwitter\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch4 class=\u0022time is-today article_pub_time\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\tToday 5:00 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class=\u0022article-share\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share fb\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Efb\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share tw\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Etw\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share mail email\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Email\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share tn_print\u0022 onclick=\u0022tn_print_fn()\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EPrint\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share msg\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Emsg\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share wa\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Ewa\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share sms\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Esms\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022 class=\u0022social-share bookmark tn-sfg-add-to-list hide\u0022 onclick=\u0022tnAddToReadingList(this, 375021)\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBookmark\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E \t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/ul\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/header\u003E\n\n\u003Csection class=\u0022tnpaywallcontent article-body  abody-375021 keep-reading \u0022\u003E\n\t\u003Ctime class=\u0022tn_publish_date hide\u0022\u003EJanuary 28, 2021\u003C\/time\u003E\n\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022article-body-inner\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left full-width-mobile image indent\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Robinson-Covert-Dhillon-illo_img.jpg\u0022 class=\u0022\u0022 title=\u0022Illustration by Tim Robinson. \u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Robinson-Covert-Dhillon-illo_img.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022 title=\u0022Robinson-Covert-Dhillon-illo_img\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022caption\u0022\u003EIllustration by Tim Robinson. \u003Cspan class=\u0022credits\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\t\t\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\t\t \u003Cp\u003EWhen Donald Trump took office in 2017, he installed a number of pro-business appointees to lead federal agencies tasked with protecting workers\u2019 rights. But for the first two years of his administration, things continued more or less as normal at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the country\u2019s sole workplace civil rights watchdog. Ami Sanghvi, now a lawyer at the Marek Law Firm, started as a trial attorney at the EEOC just after Barack Obama became president. Yet even during Trump\u2019s first two years, she said, the agency was able \u201cto do pretty great work.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E1\u003C\/span\u003E\t\t\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022ad right most-popular-plus-ad grey_back\u0022\u003E\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv align=\u0022center\u0022 id=\u0022thenation_right_rail_375021\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t  \u003Cscript data-cfasync=\u0022false\u0022 type=\u0022text\/javascript\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\tfreestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tplacementName: \u0022thenation_right_rail\u0022, \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tslotId: \u0022thenation_right_rail_375021\u0022,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttargeting:{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_author: [\u0027bryce-c\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_articleid: [375021],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_ptype: \u0027article\u0027,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_keyword: [\u0027joe-biden\u0027, \u0027sexism\u0027, \u0027sexual-har\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_subject: [\u0027business\u0027, \u0027inequality\u0027, \u0027jobs\u0027, \u0027racism-and\u0027, \u0027working-co\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_pos: \u0027rectangle_1\u0027,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_loc:\u0027atf\u0027\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t});\n\t\t\t\t\t  \u003C\/script\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\n\u003Cp\u003EThen, in May 2019, corporate lawyer Janet Dhillon was sworn in as Trump\u2019s choice for the EEOC\u2019s chair, and Sanghvi soon found the kinds of cases she could pursue restricted. It\u2019s part of why she decided to leave the commission and go into private practice in January 2020.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E2\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe change in approach when Dhillon took over \u201cwas like 180 degrees,\u201d said one former EEOC official employed at the agency at the time. He recalled describing a big victory\u2014a multimillion-dollar resolution in a difficult case\u2014to her. \u201cIt was met with a cold stare and dead silence.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E3\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv id=\u0022ConnatixPlaceholder\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDhillon has since pushed through a number of changes that two people currently at the EEOC and six former EEOC employees, as well as many in the civil rights community, warn will bring the gears of justice at the commission grinding nearly to a halt. And while, as president, Joe Biden will be able to quickly reverse many of Trump\u2019s actions, those made at the EEOC could last well into his administration.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E4\u003C\/span\u003E\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left indent indents related-oneup\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\u003Ch4\u003EAlso by Bryce Covert\u003C\/h4\u003E\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022oneup-blocks\u0022\u003E  \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022oneup-block-img\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/culture\/david-dayen-monopolized-review\/\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Robinson-Covert-ftr_img-1.jpg?scale=228&compress=80\u0022 alt=\u0022The Nation\u0022\/\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/culture\/david-dayen-monopolized-review\/\u0022 class=\u0022related-oneup-click\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch5\u003EHow Monopolies Have Taken Over Our Everyday Lives\u003C\/h5\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022author\u0022\u003EBryce Covert\u003C\/p\u003E\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\n \n \n \n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe need stronger enforcement, not weaker,\u201d said Jenny Yang, who served as the EEOC\u2019s chair from 2013 to 2018 and is now a senior fellow at the Urban Institute. Dhillon\u2019s changes, she added, are \u201cdesigned to weaken enforcement very intentionally.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E5\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe clearest impact of Dhillon\u2019s agenda has been on the pace of litigation. The EEOC filed just 93 lawsuits in fiscal year 2020, compared with 144 the year before and 199 in fiscal year 2018. And while the pandemic would have reduced the number of cases in any event, two sources within the commission attributed some of the drop directly to Dhillon\u2019s actions.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E6\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022inline-counter\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWith the EEOC pursuing fewer cases, there are fewer people getting timely justice. \u201cIf you were fired for some discriminatory reason, if you left your job because of sexual harassment, that is usually an emergency in your life,\u201d said Emily Martin, vice president for workplace justice at the National Women\u2019s Law Center. \u201cFurther slowing those processes means that the people who are really depending on the EEOC to help solve this emergency in their life are going to be out of luck.\u201d And those without the means to hire a lawyer could have no recourse at all.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E7\u003C\/span\u003E\t\t\u003Caside 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class=\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022socialButtonHighlight\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022clickheresocial\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\\\\\u0022\\\\\\\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EIf you like this article, please give today to help fund \u003Cem\u003EThe Nation\u003C\/em\u003E\u2019s work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0027;\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_text_375021 = \u0027\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022\u003E\u003Cinput type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022btn btn_ffcf0d\u0022 name=\u0022submit_sailthru\u0022 value=\u0022Donate\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0027;\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_url_375021 = \u0027https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/email-signup-module-donate\/\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_bg_color_375021 = \u0027#ffcf0d\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t}else{\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_text_375021 = \u0027\u003Cp\u003ESubscribe today and Save up to $129.\u003C\/p\u003E\u0027;\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_text_375021 = \u0027\u003Ca href=\u0022javascript:void(0)\u0022\u003E\u003Cinput type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022btn btn_d41d00\u0022 name=\u0022submit_sailthru\u0022 value=\u0022Subscribe\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0027;\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_url_375021 = \u0027https:\/\/subscribe.thenation.com\/flex\/NA\/key\/G0EECAT\/\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmagazine_button_bg_color_375021 = \u0027#dd3333\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( magazine_text_375021 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#magazine_text_375021\u0022).html(magazine_text_375021);\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( magazine_button_text_375021 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#magazine_button_375021\u0022).html(magazine_button_text_375021);\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( magazine_button_url_375021 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#magazine_button_375021 a\u0022).attr(\u0022href\u0022,magazine_button_url_375021);\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( magazine_button_bg_color_375021 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#magazine_button_375021 a input\u0022).css(\u0022background\u0022,magazine_button_bg_color_375021);\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\u003C\/script\u003E\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is a crucial time for the EEOC. We\u2019re at a historic moment,\u201d said Gaylynn Burroughs, senior policy counsel at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The Me Too movement shined a bright light on sexual harassment, and the Black Lives Matter protests reignited a conversation about racial discrimination. \u201cThis is where the EEOC\u2019s mission is most important. So the idea that they could be hamstringing themselves is very concerning.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E8\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Caside class=\u0022right hidden-on-mobile most-popular-plus-ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022most-popular hover_b_remove thenation-single-article-most-popular\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKimberly Smith-Brown, an EEOC spokeswoman who responded to queries for this article (and has since left the job), rejected the charge that Dhillon has undermined the agency. \u201cThe EEOC\u2019s ability to fulfill its mission to prevent and remedy employment discrimination has not been hampered,\u201d she said.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E9\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPrior to arriving at the EEOC, Dhillon spent her entire career in the private sector. After graduating from law school, she practiced at the corporate law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom for 13 years, then served as general counsel for US Airways Group, J.C. Penney, and Burlington Stores.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E10\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn April 2019, after Dhillon\u2019s nomination to the EEOC, a coalition of 30 business groups, including the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Restaurant Association, and the US Chamber of Commerce, wrote a letter to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell urging him to get her confirmed. The letter included a list of items the signers wanted to see enacted at the agency, including easing a requirement that businesses report pay data by race and gender. Years earlier, the Chamber had argued that the EEOC should try harder to resolve cases before filing litigation and should also narrow who has the authority to green-light lawsuits.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E11\u003C\/span\u003E\t\t\u003Caside id=\u0022inline_cta_1_module_375021\u0022 class=\u0022inline-cta-1\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022inline-cta-blocks\u0022 id=\u0022inline_cta_375021\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022cta\u0022 id=\u0022inline_cta_btn_375021\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cscript \u003E\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_text_375021            = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_button_text_375021     = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_url_375021             = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_bg_color_375021        = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_font_color_375021      = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar cta_1_check_375021  = false;  \n\t\t\tvar is_user_logged_in = 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\u0027#ffcf0d\u0027;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( inline_cta_text_375021 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#inline_cta_375021\u0022).html(inline_cta_text_375021);\n\t\t\t\tcta_1_check_375021 = true;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( inline_cta_button_text_375021 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#inline_cta_btn_375021\u0022).html(inline_cta_button_text_375021);\n\t\t\t\tcta_1_check_375021 = true;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( inline_cta_url_375021 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#inline_cta_btn_375021 a\u0022).attr(\u0022href\u0022,inline_cta_url_375021);\n\t\t\t\tcta_1_check_375021 = true;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( inline_cta_bg_color_375021 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#inline_cta_btn_375021 a input\u0022).css(\u0022background\u0022,inline_cta_bg_color_375021);\n\t\t\t\tcta_1_check_375021 = true;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tif( inline_cta_font_color_375021 !=\u0027\u0027 ){\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#inline_cta_btn_375021 a input\u0022).css(\u0022color\u0022,inline_cta_font_color_375021);\n\t\t\t\tcta_1_check_375021 = true;\n\t\t\t}\n\n\t\t\tif( cta_1_check_375021 ){\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\u0022#inline_cta_1_module_375021\u0022).addClass(\u0022tn-inline-cta-module\u0022);\n\t\t\t}\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\u003C\/script\u003E\n\t\n\u003Cp\u003EDemocratic Senator Patty Murray opposed Dhillon\u2019s nomination from the start. \u201cI really felt her experience and priorities ran contrary to the mission of the EEOC,\u201d she told me. \u201cUnfortunately, she has led the EEOC the same way that she came to it.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E12\u003C\/span\u003E\t\t\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left full-width-mobile image wide indent\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Covert-Dhillon_img.jpg\u0022 class=\u0022\u0022 title=\u0022The Trump effect: Trump\u2019s pick for EEOC chair, Janet Dhillon, spent her entire prior career in the private sector. \u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Covert-Dhillon_img.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022 title=\u0022Covert-Dhillon_img\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022caption\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Trump effect:\u003C\/strong\u003E Trump\u2019s pick for EEOC chair, Janet Dhillon, spent her entire prior career in the private sector. \u003Cspan class=\u0022credits\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\t\t\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv style=\u0022clear:both\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022wpsdc-drop-cap\u0022\u003EN\u003C\/span\u003Eot long after she took over the agency, Dhillon issued a list of her priorities, including that \u201clitigation is truly a last resort.\u201d Seyfarth Shaw, a corporate law firm that represents the Chamber of Commerce, noted at the time that this appeared \u201cto signal a shift away from the Commission\u2019s litigation efforts,\u201d a development it called \u201cwelcome and long-awaited.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E13\u003C\/span\u003E\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022ad-300\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv align=\u0022center\u0022 id=\u0022thenation_article_indent\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t  \u003Cscript data-cfasync=\u0022false\u0022 type=\u0022text\/javascript\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t  freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ \n\t\t\t\t\tplacementName: \u0022thenation_article_indent\u0022, \n\t\t\t\t\tslotId: \u0022thenation_article_indent\u0022,\n\t\t\t\t\ttargeting:{\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_author: [\u0027bryce-c\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_articleid: [375021],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_ptype: \u0027article\u0027,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_keyword: [\u0027joe-biden\u0027, \u0027sexism\u0027, \u0027sexual-har\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_subject: [\u0027business\u0027, \u0027inequality\u0027, \u0027jobs\u0027, \u0027racism-and\u0027, \u0027working-co\u0027],\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttn_pos: 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Under Dhillon, the EEOC \u201cis really trying to implement the Chamber of Commerce agenda,\u201d said David Lopez, who served as the commission\u2019s general counsel from 2010 to 2016 and is now co-dean of Rutgers Law School. \u201cI never thought I\u2019d say this in the context of the EEOC, but it almost becomes a case of industry capture by the business community.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E14\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAdvocates for workers have criticized the way other worker-focused agencies, including the Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board, have reflected the ideology of the Trump administration. But the EEOC is politically independent and has historically remained above the fray. Even Republican chairs, such as Obama nominee Victoria Lipnic and President George W. Bush\u2019s nominees, Naomi Earp and Cari Dominguez, \u201cwere enforcing the law,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cThey supported the work of the litigation units in the field.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E15\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDhillon has also departed from history in the way that she\u2019s pursued her agenda: hastily and with little input from others. She announced two nationwide pilot programs to her fellow commissioners right before holiday weekends last year, and one was implemented at the start of the next workweek, according to a current EEOC official. Commissioner Charlotte Burrows said in a statement at the time that she and Lipnic, then the only other commissioner, weren\u2019t provided \u201cso much as a courtesy copy\u201d of the pilots before they were enacted.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E16\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESmith-Brown disputed this, saying, \u201cCommissioners and their staff receive ample opportunity to review matters put to the Commission for a vote.\u201d But the pilot programs never received a vote and were instead instituted unilaterally by Dhillon. One of them made changes to the commission\u2019s mediation process\u2014an early, voluntary settlement process for narrower cases\u2014while the other changed its conciliation process, a mandatory procedure the EEOC undertakes to try to resolve cases before suing employers in court. Both programs were rolled out on a nationwide basis immediately, and even before the conciliation pilot had ended and its results were analyzed, Dhillon issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to make similar, but permanent, changes to the conciliation process. \u201cThe fact that they didn\u2019t even wait for results shows that the chair doesn\u2019t really care about the results,\u201d said David Wachtel, a partner at Trister, Ross, Schadler & Gold and a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association. \u201cShe just wants this to happen.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E17\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EStakeholders in the civil rights community, such as the National Women\u2019s Law Center and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, say they hadn\u2019t been consulted about the pilot programs or promised a role in evaluating them. They haven\u2019t even been assured that they\u2019ll be told what the outcomes are.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E18\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThat contrasts starkly with, to cite one example, the process the agency followed during the Obama administration to determine whether and how it should collect pay data by gender and race. According to a former EEOC official who was there at the time, the agency conducted \u201cextensive\u201d studies to determine what data to collect, what should be done with it afterward, and whether it should be collected at all. Commissioners also solicited and incorporated input from the agency\u2019s career staff. \u201cI don\u2019t see that happening here,\u201d the official said.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E19\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019ve just never seen what I would call a steamrolling of major changes like this,\u201d said Carolyn Wheeler, senior counsel at Katz, Marshall & Banks, who spent over three decades at the EEOC, including as assistant general counsel. While incoming chairs usually sought to make some changes, they \u201cdid not seem to think they should just wave a wand and have it be the way they thought.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E20\u003C\/span\u003E\t\t\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left full-width-mobile image wide indent\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Covert-EEOC_Lopez_and_Elauf-ap_img.jpg\u0022 class=\u0022\u0022 title=\u0022A force for workers: David Lopez, then the EEOC\u2019s general counsel, with Samantha Elauf, after Supreme Court arguments in which the EEOC fought Abercrombie & Fitch\u2019s ban on employees\u2019 wearing hijabs. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais \/ AP)\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Covert-EEOC_Lopez_and_Elauf-ap_img.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022 title=\u0022Covert-EEOC_Lopez_and_Elauf-ap_img\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022caption\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA force for workers:\u003C\/strong\u003E David Lopez, then the EEOC\u2019s general counsel, with Samantha Elauf, after Supreme Court arguments in which the EEOC fought Abercrombie & Fitch\u2019s ban on employees\u2019 wearing hijabs. \u003Cspan class=\u0022credits\u0022\u003E(Pablo Martinez Monsivais \/ AP)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\t\t\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv style=\u0022clear:both\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\u003Caside id=\u0022inline_cta_2_module_375021\u0022 class=\u0022inline-cta-2\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022inline-cta-blocks\u0022 id=\u0022inline_cta_2_375021\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022cta\u0022 id=\u0022inline_cta_2_btn_375021\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cscript \u003E\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_2_text_375021            = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_2_button_text_375021     = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_2_url_375021             = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_2_bg_color_375021        = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar inline_cta_2_font_color_375021      = \u0027\u0027;\n\t\t\tvar cta_2_check_375021  = false; 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While Smith-Brown denied that Dhillon gave such an instruction herself, she did note that EEOC general counsel Sharon Gustafson has that power, though she did not respond to a question as to whether Gustafson issued a directive.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E21\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe EEOC had been bringing such cases since 2015. But in 2019, Trump\u2019s Department of Justice filed a brief in the Supreme Court case \u003Cem\u003EBostock v. Clayton County\u003C\/em\u003E arguing that Title VII does not cover sexual orientation, contrary to the EEOC\u2019s position at the time. After Dhillon took over, attorneys were told that until the Supreme Court made its decision in \u003Cem\u003EBostock\u003C\/em\u003E, they wouldn\u2019t be given the authority to pursue litigation along those lines. The court ultimately ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, affirming the EEOC\u2019s earlier position, but a current EEOC official noted that the commissioners still have not voted to file a single sexual orientation discrimination case.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E22\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDhillon also turned her attention to the measure to collect payroll data by gender and race. In 2016, the EEOC announced that it would collect and publish aggregated data on these pay gaps. But when the Trump administration came in, the Office of Management and Budget abruptly halted it. A court later forced the EEOC to collect that data for two years. Yet Dhillon decided not to seek a renewal of that authority, stopping the effort dead in its tracks.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E23\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDhillon also made a significant change in how the agency files lawsuits. Historically, the EEOC\u2019s lawyers and general counsel have been able to decide on their own whether to bring most lawsuits against employers; the commissioners voted only on the most controversial or costly ones. But one of the first things Dhillon sought when she assumed her role was to have the entire commission vote on whether to bring litigation in every single case. When that generated heated opposition, she announced instead that she would review nearly every case herself and decide whether the full commission should vote on it. That made it harder to get more complex cases approved, particularly those seeking to create systemic change, according to a current EEOC regional attorney and three former officials, leading to a reduction not only in the number of cases but also in their size and scope.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E24\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever, after Biden was elected president\u2014all but ensuring that he would nominate a new, less conservative chair who would hold the same power to review cases that Dhillon gave herself\u2014she reversed course and moved again to change the process so that the full commission would vote on every single case, according to two current EEOC employees. During internal negotiations, the rule was altered such that every case will come before the entire commission, but routine cases will get a full vote only if a majority of the commissioners requests one, according to a current EEOC official. That means the current Republican majority on the commission will have the power to call a vote and shoot down cases it doesn\u2019t like.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E25\u003C\/span\u003E\t\t \u003Caside class=\u0022left indent indents related-newarticle author-modules\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022author-img\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/bryce-covert\/\u0022 class=\u0022no-target-blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022http:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/brycecovert_small1.jpg?scale=60&compress=80\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch4\u003E \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/bryce-covert\/\u0022\u003EMORE FROM Bryce Covert\u003C\/a\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/h4\u003E\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022newrelated-blocks\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/economy\/mitch-mcconnell-liability\/\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch5\u003EBlame Mitch for the Lack of Federal Relief\u003C\/h5\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022author\u0022\u003EDecember 30, 2020\u003C\/p\u003E\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022newrelated-blocks\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/culture\/david-dayen-monopolized-review\/\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch5\u003EHow Monopolies Have Taken Over Our Everyday Lives\u003C\/h5\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022author\u0022\u003ENovember 30, 2020\u003C\/p\u003E\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022newrelated-blocks\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/society\/evictions-tenants-covid\/\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ch5\u003EDespite the CDC\u2019s Eviction Ban, Thousands of Tenants Are Losing Their Homes\u003C\/h5\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022author\u0022\u003ENovember 24, 2020\u003C\/p\u003E\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022newrelated-blocks\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cp class=\u0022author\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/bryce-covert\/\u0022\u003EAuthor page\u003C\/a\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/p\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\n\u003Cp\u003EThe result, according to a long-serving EEOC attorney, is that more litigation is getting voted down than ever before. The current EEOC official is confident that the conservative commissioners won\u2019t decide in favor of any sexual orientation discrimination cases. Gustafson even determined that being denied leave for a disability, a form of discrimination previously recognized by the EEOC, is permissible under the Americans With Disabilities Act and that no more of those cases would be brought, according to a former EEOC official with direct knowledge of the decision. And sexual assault cases are being met with skepticism toward the claimant\u2019s story, he added.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E26\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe agency disputes the latter claim. \u201cIt is absurd to suggest that the Chair does not support the EEOC\u2019s role in combatting sexual harassment,\u201d Smith-Brown said, noting that the agency filed 57 sexual harassment suits in the past two years.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E27\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the cases that Dhillon has voted on publicly, she voted against a number of disability and age discrimination cases. In one case she voted against, African American employees at a manufacturing plant alleged racial harassment that included a white employee dangling a noose in front of a Black coworker. In another, a Chipotle manager said she was fired after being sexually assaulted at work twice in one day. Dhillon was outvoted in both of these cases, but that was before the arrival of two new Republican commissioners, who have so far voted in lockstep with her.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E28\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETypically, commissioners review and vote on 20 to 30 cases in a year; under Dhillon\u2019s changes, they may have to look at hundreds. \u201cThe impact on the staff is enormous,\u201d Wheeler said. The changes could delay for months cases that would have normally breezed through. Worse, EEOC staff may decide it\u2019s not even worth trying to get litigation approved if the Republican commissioners continually vote it down and may try to settle cases instead\u2014though without the threat of litigation, the settlement amounts will almost certainly drop.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E29\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt was precisely this logjam that President Bill Clinton\u2019s administration sought to address when it allowed the EEOC\u2019s regional attorneys to make litigation decisions about routine cases, restricting the commissioners to reviewing litigation only if it was controversial, would potentially make new law, or involved a large class of people. Lopez was there before the Clinton-era change was made. \u201cIt was not uncommon [then] for cases to sit for six, seven, eight months\u201d before the commission decided to take them, he said. That meant many claimants decided to settle for low amounts or hire their own attorneys to pursue the cases.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E30\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDhillon\u2019s policy also means that commissioners who are not well versed in the cases will make determinations about them. \u201cYou get this crazyland world where you have\u2026bureaucrats in Washington second-guessing factual determinations by people who have actually interviewed the witnesses and know the courts they\u2019re dealing with,\u201d Lopez said.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E31\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022wpsdc-drop-cap\u0022\u003EO\u003C\/span\u003Ene of Dhillon\u2019s most significant changes came through her mediation pilot program. Before, certain kinds of complaints\u2014ones that were potentially larger and more systemic\u2014were exempt from the mediation process, which seeks to reach a settlement before further investigation. The exemption ensured that complaints that might uncover larger, more widespread problems received a thorough inquiry. But now, if both parties agree, those cases too are funneled to mediation before an investigation takes place. A sign-off from headquarters can allow a case to bypass mediation, but to date that\u2019s happened rarely or never, according to a current official. When I asked the EEOC press office for data on the total number of cases that have been sent to mediation due to the pilot program, the response was unhelpful: \u201cWe will continually be evaluating the results of the mediation pilot, but will not be sharing any metrics at this time.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E32\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a result, important cases can now wither or fade away entirely in the mediation process. In mediation, the EEOC representative must remain neutral, not act as an advocate for the claimant. Many claimants will go into it facing an employer represented by a big law firm, without any legal representation themselves. Most people will therefore likely take whatever money is offered without knowing they might be able to fight for more. \u201cYou\u2019re going to have just extreme power imbalances,\u201d Lopez warned. Worse, many of the settlements are kept secret through nondisclosure agreements, and employers can insert no-hire clauses that bar claimants from ever being hired by them again.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E33\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMediation also does not allow for investigating whether other people were discriminated against by the same employer, nor does it allow requiring large-scale changes to root out discrimination. If all cases enter this process, many that could have uncovered abuses on a wider scale will instead remain narrow. Had the EEOC case against Abercrombie & Fitch for refusing to hire someone who wears a hijab gone into mediation instead, it likely wouldn\u2019t have resulted in a Supreme Court decision affirming the right to an accommodation for religious clothing for all, Lopez said. The woman at the center of the PBS documentary \u003Cem\u003ERape on the Night Shift\u003C\/em\u003E, Erika Morales\u2014a janitor who spoke up about the sexual harassment and assault she experienced at the hands of her supervisor\u2014likely wouldn\u2019t have been able to pursue a larger case if she had been pushed into mediation. Instead, the EEOC investigated her claim and discovered 20 more women at the same workplace who\u2019d been similarly harassed and assaulted.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E34\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSending virtually every claim to mediation, regardless of the scope or severity of the discrimination at issue, would be a grave injustice and a violation of EEOC\u2019s responsibility to enforce the law,\u201d Burrows, the EEOC commissioner, said in a statement. There aren\u2019t even enough mediators to handle so many new cases: Dhillon said she wasn\u2019t going to hire any last year despite the increase in workload.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E35\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDhillon\u2019s pilot program was set to expire in early January, but she extended it until September 30. The move is \u201cpernicious,\u201d said an EEOC regional attorney, and \u201cwill be an additional stranglehold on litigation.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E36\u003C\/span\u003E\t\t\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left full-width-mobile image wide indent\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Covert-EEOC_protesters-ap_img.jpg\u0022 class=\u0022\u0022 title=\u0022Safer workplaces: Protesters amass outside the Supreme Court building while the court hears arguments about discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades \/ Sipa USA)\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Covert-EEOC_protesters-ap_img.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022 title=\u0022Covert-EEOC_protesters-ap_img\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022caption\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESafer workplaces:\u003C\/strong\u003E Protesters amass outside the Supreme Court building while the court hears arguments about discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. \u003Cspan class=\u0022credits\u0022\u003E(Amanda Andrade-Rhoades \/ Sipa USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\t\t\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv style=\u0022clear:both\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022wpsdc-drop-cap\u0022\u003EA\u003C\/span\u003Efter the EEOC investigates a claim and finds that an employer probably broke antidiscrimination laws, it enters conciliation, a mandatory discussion with the employer to try to come to an agreement before the commission pursues a lawsuit. Diane King, a labor-side employment lawyer at King & Greisen in Denver, has gone through the process many times. Before Dhillon\u2019s conciliation pilot program began, all of the parties\u2014King, her client, the EEOC investigator, and the employer\u2014would gather and discuss the case and how it might be resolved without litigation. Employers took it seriously, King said. \u201cA lot of those cases did settle.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E37\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut this past year, when she got to that step in one of her cases, she found the process had changed without notice. Instead of a meeting with all of the parties, the EEOC investigator simply acted as a go-between, and the negotiation took place in \u201ca black box,\u201d King said.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E38\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHer client in the case is a woman who worked for a water utility\u2014a nontraditional job for women\u2014for about five years before being sexually harassed so much \u201cshe basically had a breakdown,\u201d King said. The woman couldn\u2019t return to work and lost, in King\u2019s estimation, hundreds of thousands of dollars in foregone wages. She had to sell her house and is currently couch-surfing while she finds somewhere to live. She hasn\u2019t been able to maintain another job since.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E39\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe employer made \u201ca really bad\u201d offer, King said: $20,000 for years of harassment. The EEOC investigator urged her to accept it. King refused. So the case will now likely go to litigation, the outcome conciliation is meant to avoid. Her client has already been waiting four years to get some justice. Now she\u2019ll have to wait even longer.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E40\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKing would rather settle before a case goes to litigation, a process that \u201cuses so much resources on both sides,\u201d she said. But she felt that the new conciliation process made reaching a settlement even harder. Dhillon\u2019s pilot program has \u201cbeen just a colossal failure,\u201d King said.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E41\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EEarlier, the EEOC had won a significant victory for its conciliation process. In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in the EEOC\u2019s favor in a case called \u003Cem\u003EMach Mining LLC v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission\u003C\/em\u003E. After receiving a complaint of gender discrimination, the EEOC found that the mining company had never hired a woman for a mining position. But when it brought a lawsuit against Mach Mining, the company fought back by saying the EEOC hadn\u2019t adequately tried to conciliate the case.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E42\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBefore \u003Cem\u003EMach Mining\u003C\/em\u003E, \u201cevery single case\u201d would end up in a similar fight over whether the EEOC had tried enough to conciliate, rather than on the merits of the case, said Lopez, who was at the commission at the time. \u201cIt almost felt like malpractice if they didn\u2019t try to challenge the EEOC\u2019s conciliation.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E43\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe EEOC fought the \u003Cem\u003EMach Mining\u003C\/em\u003E case on those procedural grounds for four years before getting the Supreme Court decision and eventually securing $4.25 million for female applicants. But the upside was the court found that there were no hard-and-fast rules for how the EEOC had to conciliate, which put an end to those fights over procedure.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E44\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENow, Dhillon is undoing that win. The Retail Litigation Center, a pro-business group she helped found, had filed a friend-of-the-court brief siding with Mach Mining in the Supreme Court case. And from her current perch in the EEOC, not only has she decided to impose conciliation rules, but she\u2019s gone even further. Under her pilot program, EEOC investigators are required to give an employer virtually all of the information they used to determine that it broke the law, including the EEOC\u2019s legal theory of the case, as well as any potentially exculpatory evidence, including anything that \u201craised doubt\u201d about whether discrimination occurred. Beyond potentially violating attorney-client privilege, \u201cwe\u2019re turning over things that really border on attorney work product,\u201d which is typically protected from disclosure in any lawsuit, a long-serving attorney at the EEOC said.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E45\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is the EEOC snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and saying, \u2018Let\u2019s tie our own hands,\u2019\u201d Martin observed.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E46\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis has serious consequences for those seeking justice through the EEOC. It\u2019s harder to get \u201ca good result for the employee,\u201d Martin said, because employers have \u201cgreater leverage without any comparable leg up for the employee.\u201d With all of this new information, employers can be much more confident about finding a minimum amount that can make the case go away. And if they don\u2019t settle, \u201cemployers will have this huge leg up in the eventual lawsuit,\u201d Wachtel said.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E47\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother important change to the conciliation process that has yet to be made public, which the EEOC spokeswoman and sources inside the agency confirmed to \u003Cem\u003EThe Nation\u003C\/em\u003E, is the institution of limits on the damages investigators can seek in conciliation without approval from headquarters. The amount of money the EEOC can ask for is already quite low: In 1991, Congress imposed caps on damages (for the largest employers, they can come to only $300,000), and those figures have never been updated. Now, above a certain percentage of those potential damages, an investigator has to get approval from the regional office; to get the full amount, the investigator has to go to headquarters. Smith-Brown confirmed the change, saying that the pilot program \u201cadds a requirement that conciliation offers be approved by the appropriate level of management\u2026before the offers are shared with employers\u201d and noting that the level of approval required increases with the size of the damages. \u201cThis is appropriate,\u201d she added; \u201clarger cases should have more oversight.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E48\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut this incentivizes investigators to seek lower amounts in conciliation to avoid having to run requests up the flagpole. And making the case to headquarters requires even more time. \u201cThere\u2019s no question that would slow things down,\u201d Sanghvi said. She noted that during her tenure at the EEOC, she never saw headquarters involved with approving how much investigators asked for in damages. \u201cThe level of second-guessing is crazy,\u201d Lopez said; determining what damages to seek \u201care really ground-level decisions,\u201d based on the level of emotional distress a claimant has experienced and how a jury might evaluate the claimant\u2019s and the employer\u2019s conduct. But the new caps apply to all cases, no matter how severe the wrongdoing.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E49\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBefore the pilot program ended, Dhillon proposed making permanent changes to the conciliation process through regulation. Her original proposal took most of the pilot program\u2019s changes and went further, requiring investigators to unveil the names of witnesses, even those who wished to remain anonymous and who may still be working for the employer. \u201cYou have to have witnesses in these cases,\u201d King noted. \u201cYou rarely have smoking-gun documents,\u201d so their testimony is crucial. But \u201conce the word gets out that their confidentiality is not protected by the EEOC, I can\u2019t imagine they\u2019re going to get near it.\u201d Workers know that retaliation is a real threat. The EEOC consistently receives more retaliation claims than any other kind.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E50\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn last-minute negotiations over the final version of Dhillon\u2019s NPRM, this requirement was dropped, as was the requirement that investigators hand over privileged information, according to a current EEOC official. But investigators will still have to give employers a written summary of the facts that led them to believe discrimination occurred and the legal basis for potential litigation, as well as an explanation of what kind and size of case it might be. That risks protracting the process of determining whether illegal discrimination occurred and hanging up a case instead over arguments about whether the EEOC followed the right procedure, similar to what it faced before \u003Cem\u003EMach Mining\u003C\/em\u003E. \u201cIt will lead to expensive and needless litigation,\u201d Burrows said during the final debate over the rule, which \u201cwill divert limited, precious resources away from fighting discrimination.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E51\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe argument in favor of creating the new rule is that it will entice more employers to enter conciliation and lead to more settlements. But there\u2019s little evidence to back that up. The EEOC recently completed an internal analysis of hundreds of failed conciliations and found the two primary reasons they didn\u2019t work were because employers declined to participate and because the parties couldn\u2019t agree on a monetary figure. And, of course, Dhillon pushed forward with the permanent rule before her pilot program could be analyzed.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E52\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe conciliation pilot is ongoing: Dhillon unilaterally extended it as it was about to expire in November. That, however, can be easily reversed by a new chair. But the final NPRM is \u201creally going to tie our hands,\u201d the regional attorney said. Already overworked investigators will have less time to devote to uncovering discrimination. Operating under Dhillon\u2019s pilot program, many are doing everything they can to get justice for a claimant without finding cause so they don\u2019t have to go through the new processes, according to the current EEOC official. The changes mean that \u201cwe\u2019re not going to win in conciliation,\u201d King said. \u201cIt gives you one less tool.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E53\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EEven with the new demands placed on EEOC staff, their ranks have thinned. There were 1,939 full-time employees in fiscal year 2020, a decrease from 2,060 in 2019 and the lowest level since 1980, even as the country\u2019s workforce has grown. Despite the agency receiving budget increases\u2014the first since 2014\u2014in both 2018 and 2020, Dhillon made it clear she didn\u2019t want to spend money on hiring staff, according to a current EEOC official. She has been \u201cvery sparing\u201d in spending money to hire the staffers that carry out litigation, the regional attorney said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a trickle.\u201d She is also \u201cvery intentionally starving\u201d the general counsel\u2019s office, according to a former EEOC official.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E54\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut that\u2019s not what Congress instructed. \u201cCongress allocates money. We\u2019re the power of the purse,\u201d said Murray, the Democratic senator from Washington state. She noted that Congress gave the EEOC more money in the wake of the Me Too movement so it could better address workplace harassment. \u201cIf you have someone like Chair Dhillon\u2026using it for something else, she\u2019s skirting what Congress, which is the will of the people, has asked her to do.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E55\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESmith-Brown pointed out that the agency hired more than 300 employees in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 combined, with 131 in \u201cfront-line\u201d positions. \u201cChair Dhillon has committed resources on increasing front-line staff across the agency whenever possible,\u201d she said, but added that increases in other fixed costs were higher than the additional money from Congress, leaving few extra resources for personnel.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E56\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA failure to hire enough attorneys and investigators winnows the agency\u2019s capacity. When Dhillon visited a field office and an attorney told her they were having a hard time litigating cases with so little staff, she responded that they should file fewer cases, according to a former EEOC official.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E57\u003C\/span\u003E\t\t\t\t\u003Caside class=\u0022left full-width-mobile image wide indent\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Covert-Bostock-getty_img.jpg\u0022 class=\u0022\u0022 title=\u0022Fighting discrimination: Gerald Bostock, whose Supreme Court case affirmed that sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination was illegal under the Civil Rights Act. (Saul Loeb \/ AFP via Getty Images)\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Covert-Bostock-getty_img.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022 title=\u0022Covert-Bostock-getty_img\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022caption\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFighting discrimination:\u003C\/strong\u003E Gerald Bostock, whose Supreme Court case affirmed that sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination was illegal under the Civil Rights Act. \u003Cspan class=\u0022credits\u0022\u003E(Saul Loeb \/ AFP via Getty Images)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\t\t\t\t\u003C\/aside\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv style=\u0022clear:both\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022wpsdc-drop-cap\u0022\u003EL\u003C\/span\u003Eopez sees a clear pattern in Dhillon\u2019s changes: \u201cThe bottom line is they don\u2019t want to litigate.\u201d That would take the EEOC back to its inception, before Congress gave it litigation authority in 1972, recognizing that the agency wasn\u2019t effective without it. Without a serious threat that the EEOC will sue, the deterrent effect disappears. \u201cThe agency has no real credibility in anything it does unless the employer community believes it will litigate,\u201d Wheeler said. The changes are \u201ccertainly affecting our ability to litigate in the public interest and to go after discriminating employers,\u201d the long-serving attorney at the EEOC said. \u201cIt\u2019s already slowing down.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E58\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a federal agency, the EEOC can pursue cases that private attorneys won\u2019t handle, because it doesn\u2019t have to worry about how much money it can win in a settlement or trial. That benefits low-income workers, who often can\u2019t get private legal representation, and it also allows the EEOC to pursue cases that it might not win but that could still have important ramifications. Unlike private attorneys, the EEOC can demand that a company change its practices, not just hand over a certain sum of money. It also has investigative powers that private attorneys don\u2019t. \u201cIf it\u2019s harder for the EEOC to ever litigate,\u201d Martin said, \u201demployers realize that they don\u2019t have to worry as much when the EEOC comes knocking.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E59\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile, \u201csomeone\u2019s livelihood is in the balance,\u201d Burroughs said. \u201cThey have a lot to lose when justice is delayed.\u201d By the time a case came to Sanghvi\u2019s desk, it had usually been a year or two since the claimant first asked the EEOC for help. Then they would still have to wait for conciliation or litigation to play out. By that time, many claimants had long run out of money to support themselves. \u201cFrom charge filing to resolution in litigation is sometimes 10 years,\u201d Wheeler said. \u201cThat\u2019s a real long time to get redress for what happened.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E60\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMany of the sources I spoke with posited that Dhillon\u2019s rush to push changes through was an attempt to get things finalized before the 2020 election. Once Biden assumes office, he can appoint a new chair, so Dhillon will no longer enjoy the power she currently holds. But all of the current commissioners will outlast Trump\u2019s administration, so unless they decide to leave voluntarily, the EEOC will have a Republican majority until at least 2022, when Dhillon\u2019s term as a commissioner expires. (She has already said she intends to serve out the rest of her term.)\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E61\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA new Democratic chair could reverse some of her initiatives, such as the mediation pilot. But many will be difficult, especially the conciliation NPRM. That will require Congress to deploy the Congressional Review Act, which allows the body to overturn agency actions 60 days after they are finalized. In what appeared to be an attempt to head that off, Dhillon inserted language declaring it \u201cnot a major rule\u201d just 24 hours before the commission held its final vote, which would potentially allow it to go into effect before Congress could reverse it. For the agency to once again collect pay data by gender and race, it would have to repeat the entire process it went through in the first place: having the commission vote in favor and getting the Office of Management and Budget to sign off on it.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E62\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThese efforts would \u201ctake time [and] energy from more affirmative work,\u201d Martin said, while inviting potential legal battles over whether the reversals were done correctly. It\u2019s unusual, she added, for even a Republican EEOC chair to \u201cbake in changes that will bind future commissions and make them less effective.\u201d But that\u2019s what Dhillon has done.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E63\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt will be several years before we can make changes on this to get back to where we need to be,\u201d Murray said.\u003Cspan class=\u0022paranum hidden\u0022\u003E64\u003C\/span\u003E\n\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/section\u003E\n\n\u003Csection class=\u0022aside-wrap\u0022\u003E\u003C\/section\u003E\n\u003Cfooter class=\u0022article-footer narrow new-article-footer\u0022 id=\u0022article-footer-375021\u0022\u003E\n\n\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022footer-module narrow author-bio\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\n\t\t\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/bryce-covert\/\u0022\u003E Bryce Covert\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ca class=\u0022author-twitter\u0022 href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/@brycecovert\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ETwitter\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003EBryce Covert is a contributor at \u003Cem\u003EThe Nation\u003C\/em\u003E and a contributing op-ed writer at \u003Cem\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe New York Times\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\t\t\n\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cdiv class=\u0022footer-module narrow contact-us\u0022\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cp\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\tTo submit a correction for our consideration, click \u003Ca target=\u0022_blank\u0022 href=\u0022\/corrections?title=The+Trump+Administration+Gutted+the+EEOC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenation.com%2Farticle%2Fsociety%2Fjanet-dhillon-eeoc%2F\u0022\u003Ehere.\u003C\/a\u003E\t\t\t\t\t\u003C\/p\u003E\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003Cp\u003EFor Reprints and Permissions, click \u003Ca target=\u0022_blank\u0022 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