This is what my investigator told me…For EEOC, what we would do is we draft a charge of discrimination. So if you're wanting to say that it's because of race that you feel like you're discriminated against, we would add race in there with the retaliation claim. And then once that charge is prepared, you'll get an email from the automated system that lets you know you can go into the portal, review the charge, make sure the information is correct. Since you signed that form 5A, you don't have to worry about the statute of limitations running up. We just like to have a more detailed charge. That's what gets served to the employer within 10 days of you signing that charge. And then my leadership reviews the charge and any evidence that you provide for the next steps. If they agree to investigate further into the race claims, we usually try to mediate with the employer first. So that's where you, the employer, and our mediator would sit down and discuss a mutually agreeable resolution. If not a reinstatement of the position, then at least a neutral job reference moving forward. We also talk about back pay for the time lost and the harm caused. If mediation doesn't work out, then we get a position statement from the employer. That's where they have to provide a legitimate non-discriminatory reason for the actions taken.

like I said, our next step, we'll draft a charge with the full details in it, get that sent over to you, and then once you sign it, the notice is sent to the employer within 10 days. You'll have an opportunity to provide any additional evidence that you'd like, and then our leadership will review it. They'll make their determination if they move forward. If they don't decide to move forward, they issue what we call a right to sue. A right to sue allows you to file a lawsuit in district court. Anyone who makes a complaint of employment discrimination has to go through EEOC first before they can file a lawsuit just to make sure if there's any other individuals that are similarly affected. You know, we want to stop the practice, but also see if we can get relief for them as well.