Monday, February 1, 2010

EEOC announces curious partnership as it expands community outreach


The EEOC has announced that it has partnered with Beachwood’s Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage to help employees file discrimination complaints. The agency will set up a temporary charge intake station at the museum on the last Thursday of each month. According to EEOC Cleveland Field Office Director Dan Cabot, “It’s a good partnership for us and for the community.”

To me, it’s a weird partnership. I understand the theming – the EEOC fights intolerance in the workplace and the Maltz Museum advocates for tolerance among religions and ethnicities. But, anyone who knows Cleveland geography will understand that no one in Beachwood and its surrounding communities needs help getting to the EEOC’s main office downtown. While this staged synergy sounds like a publicity stunt, it is one that employers should pay close attention to. The EEOC is clearly empowered, and employers who ignore their EEO responsibilities in today’s political climate do so at their own risk.

[Hat tip: Warren & Hays Blog]


Presented by Kohrman Jackson & Krantz, with offices in Cleveland and Columbus. For more information, contact Jon Hyman, a partner in our Labor & Employment group, at (216) 736-7226 or jth@kjk.com.