EEOC's Premiere Federal Sector Equal Employment Opportunity Law Program Will Now Feature Private, State, Local Agenda

WASHINGTON-To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Equal Pay Act, Lilly Ledbetter, for whom the Lilly Ledbetter Act was named, will be the keynote speaker at the annual U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Examining Conflicts in Employment Laws (EXCEL) training conference, the EEOC Training Institute announced. For the first time, the conference, to be held in Denver on August 27-29, 2013, will feature separate sessions directed at private sector practitioners.

EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien will address the combined conference in a separate keynote. Additionally, Lafe Solomon, Acting General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, will give an NLRB update, including recent litigation about the use of social media by employees.

Now in its 16th year, this annual event has brought together federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Human Resources and Alternate Dispute Resolution practitioners, members of the private bar and EEOC experts to discuss the laws and procedures governing equal employment opportunity in the federal sector.

For the first time this year, the program will offer a complete, separate agenda on cutting edge developments in the private sector, which also includes state and local employees. Topics include EEOC's recent Enforcement Guidance on the Use of Criminal Records; the seven mistakes employers make when they get a charge of discrimination, wage discrimination and more.

The Federal Sector side will include updates to EEO laws and regulations and many topics of interest to HR managers and staff. There will also be three full-day pre-conference sessions: EEO Counselor Refresher, EEO Investigator Refresher and Litigation before the MSPB and the EEOC. These sessions will be held Monday, August 26, 2013, and are available to those following the federal agenda. The federal program also features training sessions leading to required certificates for agency personnel working in federal EEO offices.

Registration for the event, including the closed training sessions, is now open. Registration questions can be directed to 1(866)446-0940 or 1(800)828-1120 (TTY) or eeoc.traininginstitute@eeoc.gov. The event will take place at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Denver, where a special rate is available for overnight stays for participants.

The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.