National Council of EEOC Locals, No. 216
AFGE, AFL-CIO
c/o Denver District EEOC Office
303 East 17th Avenue,
Suite 510
Denver, Colorado 80203
Telephone 303.866.1337
September
10, 2004
Chair
Cari Dominguez
Vice
Chair Naomi Churchill Earp
Commissioner
Leslie E. Silverman
Commissioner
Stuart J. Ishimaru
Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission
1801
L Street, N.W., 10th Floor
Washington,
D.C. 20507
Re: EEOC’s Failure to Provide Reasonable Notice of Commission
Meeting
Dear
Chair Dominguez, Vice Chair Earp, Commissioners Silverman and Ishimaru:
I
have unofficially learned that the EEOC now intends to conduct a Commission
Meeting on September 17, 2004, regarding a vote to implement a privatized
national call center. I applaud the
Commission for heeding the Union’s request to call a public meeting. However, the Union’s request also included a
caution that the Commission provide “sufficient notice to interested parties
who would want to attend and prepare testimony.” The Agency’s shotgun scheduling of this meeting will not allow
for meaningful public participation and does not conform with its obligations
under the Government in Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 552(b)). Finally, scheduling the meeting on the Jewish
High Holy Day of Rosh Hashana will further limit attendance.
The
Sunshine Act requires that an Agency “shall make public announcement, at least
one week before the meeting.” As of the
writing of this letter, the Commission meeting is not posted on the EEOC
website. A check of the Federal
Register “hot off the press” page indicates that notice of the September 17
meeting will post on September 14.
Three days notice hardly allows for parties to learn of the meeting and
prepare testimony. Furthermore,
interested parties will likely be traveling to the meeting from outside the
D.C. area. Such short notice will make
it difficult and costly for individuals to make timely travel arrangements.
Therefore
the Union respectfully requests that the Agency reschedule the meeting and
provide the public with reasonable notice of the new date. The agency’s refusal to reschedule will
confirm that the Call Center decision is preordained and the rushed hearing is
merely a sham.
Sincerely,
Gabrielle
Martin
President,
National Council of EEOC Locals, No. 216