Federal labor union sues EEOC over alleged halt to class action discrimination complaints by government workers

The American Federation of Government Employees, representing 800,000 workers, has sued the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in federal court. Joined by two Louisiana corrections officers, the union alleges the EEOC illegally suspended processing federal-sector class action discrimination complaints since December 2025. The lawsuit claims this suspension violates the Administrative Procedure Act. The shift aligns with broader enforcement changes under Trump-appointed EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas.

EEOC class complaint suspension

• ▪The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's alleged suspension of class action cases barred administrative judges from holding hearings, deciding motions, ordering discovery, or issuing decisions.
• ▪The American Federation of Government Employees learned of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's suspension from a December 2025 notice issued by an administrative judge in a pending sex discrimination case.
• ▪The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has allegedly suspended pending class action-style discrimination complaints on behalf of groups of federal workers since at least December 2025.

AFGE lawsuit against EEOC

• ▪Two female corrections officers at a federal prison in Louisiana involved in a sex discrimination case against the Federal Bureau of Prisons joined the American Federation of Government Employees in the lawsuit.
• ▪The plaintiffs in the lawsuit seek a court order declaring the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's alleged suspension of case processing unlawful and reversing the decision.
• ▪The American Federation of Government Employees filed a lawsuit against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on July 28, 2026, in Washington, D.C., federal court.

Federal worker discrimination process

• ▪Federal-sector discrimination complaints may be heard by Equal Employment Opportunity Commission administrative judges, whose decisions can be appealed to the five-member commission and then to federal appeals courts.
• ▪Federal workers cannot immediately sue their employing agencies for discrimination in court and must first file complaints with offices within their agencies.

Trump administration EEOC changes

• ▪Under Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas, the agency has ceased investigations into employment policies with disparate impacts and launched probes into workplace diversity programs.
• ▪The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Andrea Lucas has proposed ending the annual collection of worker demographic data and abandoned cases involving transgender workers.

Administrative Procedure Act violations

• ▪The lawsuit alleges the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's suspension of class action cases is arbitrary and capricious, violating the Administrative Procedure Act.
• ▪The lawsuit accuses the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of violating the federal Administrative Procedure Act by failing to provide advance notice or seek public comment before suspending class cases.

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