Kalpana Kotagal

Thank you to our Birmingham EEOC office, Grace Klein Community in Birmingham, the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, the Council for Tribal Employment Rights, and others for having me this summer. I look forward to engaging with more communities this fall.

I also had the honor of speaking at the Council for Tribal Employment Rights conference in Tulsa. The EEOC's collaboration with Tribal Nations is critically important. I discussed successful EEOC cases involving Native workers & our commitment to tribal sovereignty & consultation.

My summer was full of enriching conversations with groups across the country. As part of the U.S. EEOC's REACH Initiative, I visited Birmingham & Philly to hear from local advocates & workers about the unique barriers they face at work & how the EEOC can better meet their needs.

Goodsell/Wilkins to Pay $730,000 in EEOC Race, National Origin and Sex Harassment Lawsuit LOS ANGELES – Orange County-based construction company Goodsell/Wilkins,

Learn more about both of those important settlements here: www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/goo... and here: www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/bob...

And in June, the EEOC settled a lawsuit on behalf of a class of Hispanic laborers for $250,000. That suit alleged a tire company in Boston subjected the workers to constant harassment, including unlawful comments, gestures, & slurs relating to sex, national origin & race.

In February, the EEOC settled a lawsuit on behalf of a class of Hispanic or Latino male workers for $730,000. The suit alleged a California-based construction company subjected the workers to race/national origin-based & sexual harassment including being called derogatory slurs.

Questions and Answers: Enforcement Guidance on National Origin Discrimination On November 21, 2016, the EEOC issued its Enforcement Guidance on National Origin Discrimination, https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/national-origin-guidance.cfm, a sub-regulatory document that provid...

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Hispanic workers across the country contribute so much to our nation's workplaces. The U.S. EEOC holds employers accountable for discrimination, including discrimination based on a worker's national origin. www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidanc...

Equal Pay/Compensation Discrimination Equal Pay and Compensation Discrimination

Advancing pay equity is critical now more than ever. The U.S. EEOC enforces federal laws that prohibit pay discrimination on the basis of sex, race, disability, national origin, age & more. Our cases show discrimination is unfortunately still real. Learn more: www.eeoc.gov/equal-paycom...

This means that, when comparing median earnings, for every dollar made by a man working full-time year-round, women working full-time year-round make only 81 cents. This 19-cent difference adds up, causing women to get paid thousands less than men over the course of their careers.

For the first time, the gender wage gap widened 2 yrs in a row according to Census data. In 2024, women working full-time year-round made 81 cents on the dollar, down from 83 cents in 2023 & 84 cents in 2022. The wage gap was even wider for women of color. www.usatoday.com/story/money/...

Looking forward to joining this important discussion tomorrow!

Community-specific data can yield pointed solutions. The U.S. EEOC enforces laws to combat pay discrimination, including the Equal Pay Act & Title VII. By complying with the law & creating more equitable workplaces, we can work towards pay equity for NHPI women and all women.

Yesterday was Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Women’s Equal Pay Day. As of 2023, NHPI women working full time, year-round earned 65 cents for every $1 paid to White, non-Hispanic men. This disparity is often hidden by aggregated pay data of AANHPI women generally.

Pay data is a valuable tool for employers to take a closer look at their practices & implement policies that remedy & prevent such wage gaps. The Equal Pay Act requires everyone in the same workplace to receive equal pay for equal work. Learn more here: www.eeoc.gov/equal-paycom...

As Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, President & CEO of the Institute of Women's Policy & Research, recognized, this data illustrates that "the wage gap Black women experience is not the result of personal choices, but rather systemic racism & sexism embedded in US labor market structures & workplaces."

Today is Black Women's Equal Pay Day. Black women working full-time earn only 64.4 cents for every dollar White men make. This gap persists even at the highest levels of education. DC has the largest pay gap in the country for Black women at $59,000.

On July 2, 1965, 60 years ago today, the doors of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission opened to the public. | Kalpana Kotagal On July 2, 1965, 60 years ago today, the doors of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission opened to the public. I am deeply honored to serve alongside incredibly talented and commit...

60 years ago today, the U.S. EEOC opened its doors. I am deeply honored to serve alongside incredibly talented and committed career staff to advance the mission of the EEOC. Check out my video for more on agency's 60 years of work and the work ahead: www.linkedin.com/posts/kalpan...

In the words of the great Thurgood Marshall, “I wish I could say that racism & prejudice were only distant memories... We must dissent from the fear, the hatred & the mistrust.… We must dissent because America can do better, because America has no choice but to do better."

As we celebrate #Juneteenth aka "Freedom Day" over a century and a half after that momentous day of liberation in Galveston, Texas, I'm reminded that the struggle for freedom persists.

Tomorrow is Juneteenth - the 160th anniversary of the day enslaved African Americans in Texas finally got word that they were free. I honor the fortitude of Black Americans & their ancestors who have triumphed & thrived in the face of seemingly insurmountable systemic oppression.

Pay transparency, inclusive policies, combating systemic barriers, data-driven solutions, and more, are essential to closing these gaps and ensuring pay equity for all.

Today is LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day. Studies show that LGBTQ+ workers are paid between 10% - 32% less than their straight and cisgender counterparts. Those wage gaps compound for trans women, non-binary individuals, and LGBTQ+ workers of color.

Aimee Stephens' case was taken up by the U.S. EEOC & in the 6th cir., EEOC successfully defended her right to be free from employment discrimination based on her gender identity. Though Ms. Stephens tragically passed soon before the Court's ruling, her fight helped pave the way.

The Court consolidated 3 cases where employers fired an employee for being gay or transgender. Gerald Bostock was fired after joining a gay softball league; Donald Zarda was fired after mentioning being gay; & Aimee Stephens was fired after transitioning and presenting as a woman

Yesterday was the 5-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Bostock. There, the Court held, "An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law." This was a crucial step forward for workplace protections for LGBTQ+ workers

During Pride Month and every month, it is crucial for employers to foster safe and inclusive workplaces for all their employees, regardless of an employee's sexual orientation, gender identity, or other background.

In April 2024, the U.S. EEOC reached a $460k settlement with 2 trucking companies after they allegedly harassed and terminated 2 gay mechanics - including frequent use of gay slurs, physical violence & more. www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/ta-...

Last week, the U.S. EEOC reached a $261k settlement for 2 cases against a restaurant in Minnesota. According to the allegations, 1 employee was subjected to racial & homophobic slurs, including the n-word & the f-slur, comments on his body, sex life & more. www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/cul...

Happy Pride Month! WorldPride's theme is "The Fabric of Freedom." There's much to be done to ensure a safer, more just society. It's "the fabric of our community — through our rich cultures, diverse identities, & backgrounds — that will guide us forward towards a better future."

The federal government, including the EEOC, plays a pivotal role in advancing access to justice and protecting the most vulnerable. I penned an article for the University of Cincinatti Law Review on how government, at its best, can make people's lives better scholarship.law.uc.edu/uclr/vol93/i...