EEOC Data Shows Rise In Religious Discrimination Complaints

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission yesterday released its enforcement and litigation statistics for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2008. They show an overall 15% rise in workplace discrimination complaints from the prior year. The number of religious discrimination complaints went up 13.6%, from 2,880 in 2007 to 3,273 in 2008. (Charge statistics.) The detailed data on religion-based charges shows that the EEOC found no reasonable cause in 62.5% of the religious discrimination cases. Non-litigation settlements resulted in payment of $7.5 million in damages during FY 2008.