Finally, Texas is #1!

Yes, finally our state is rated number one in something, but we shouldn't break out the champagne or the Dos Equis just yet. It seems that the thing which we are rated tops in is the number of workplace discrimination complaints filed in 2011.


The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports that during the 2011 fiscal year, nearly 10,000 of the record 99,947 federal charges of workplace discrimination received by the EEOC were filed in Texas. The most common complaints within the state were "retaliatory charges," or those alleging that the employer fired, demoted or otherwise retaliated against an employee because he or she fought against discrimination in some way, such as going to the EEOC. 

The second most common complaint was a claim of race bias and third was gender bias. These  were followed in rank by national origin bias claims and religious discrimination claims.

According to EEOC officials, one reason that Texas ranks number one is because it is very populous, with about 25 million people. But California is more populous and has many fewer complaints. The reason for that seems to be that the state agency for protecting workers in California is very robust and takes the job seriously, while the Texas state agency is, frankly, in the pockets of big business and the right-wing politicians who run the state and it provides very little protection for workers.

Texas politicians like to swagger and brag about how the state is so "business-friendly," by which they mean that they do everything possible to ensure that a business will never be inconvenienced by having to pay its workers fairly or treat them equitably. And should the workers complain about that and try to organize and demand fair treatment, well, there's always somebody else out there looking for a job, and the businesses can be pretty darn sure that the state of Texas has their back if they choose to fire the old workers and hire new ones.

On the other hand, Texas is providing job security for one group of employees. Those who work at the EEOC.  

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