Union Files Lawsuit Over Eeoc's Suspension of Class Actions

WHO:

ABC News - The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Deanna Chelette, Alexzandria Boyd, Andrea Lucas, and Administrative Judge Erania Ebron are involved in the lawsuit.

GovExec.com - The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union.

WHAT:

ABC News - A lawsuit was filed by a labor union and two female prison employees against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for unlawfully halting their sexual harassment case.

ABC News - The lawsuit claims the EEOC has ordered an indefinite suspension of federal-sector class complaints.

ABC News - The pending class complaint includes declarations from eight other women and estimates that at least 182 women are affected.

GovExec.com - The AFGE lawsuit seeks to force the EEOC to undo an unpublished directive that has blocked all class-action cases involving federal agencies for more than six months.

GovExec.com - The class-action certification for the case involving Chelette and Boyd was granted for around 200 employees in March 2025.

WHERE:

ABC News - The lawsuit involves employees at the Federal Correctional Complex in Pollock, Louisiana.

GovExec.com - The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

WHEN:

ABC News - The class complaint was certified in March 2025.

GovExec.com - The directive to pause case processing was issued on December 10, 2025.

WHY:

ABC News - The lawsuit claims the EEOC's suspension directive lacks a reasoned explanation and undermines employees' rights under civil rights laws.

GovExec.com - The AFGE argues that the EEOC's directive violates its own regulations and engages in arbitrary decision-making.

HOW:

ABC News - The EEOC's suspension directive has led to indefinite stays or pauses in class action case proceedings, including certifications and hearings.

GovExec.com - The lawsuit claims that the EEOC's own regulations encourage the use of class-action cases for resolving discrimination allegations efficiently.

(UPDATED July 29, 2026 01:30 UTC)

A lawsuit has been filed by the American Federation of Government Employees, along with two female prison employees, against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for unlawfully halting their sexual harassment case. The suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, claims that the EEOC's directive has indefinitely suspended federal-sector class complaints and affects at least 182 women, including declarations from eight others. The AFGE is seeking to overturn this directive, arguing that it violates the EEOC's own regulations and undermines employees' rights under civil rights laws.