What happens after I file a private sector charge?

After you file a charge, we will give you a copy of the charge with your charge number printed in the upper right hand corner.  Within 10 days, we will send a notice and a copy of the charge to the employer.  In some cases, we will ask both you and the employer to take part in our mediation program.  If both parties agree to mediation, a mediator will hold a conference and assist you in reaching a voluntary settlement.  Mediation allows you and the employer to talk about your concerns and design a remedy that meets your needs.

If the case is not sent to mediation, or if mediation doesn’t resolve the problem, we usually will ask the employer to provide us a written answer to your charge.  We may also ask the employer to answer questions we have about the claims in your charge.  The way we process a charge depends on the issues and bases of the charge, the facts of the case and the kinds of information and documents we need to gather.  In some cases, we visit the employer's place of business to hold interviews and gather documents.  In other cases, we interview witnesses over the phone and ask for documents by mail.  In a few cases, we are able to gather enough information during the charge filing process to make a decision.  After we finish our processing, we will issue a decision to you and the employer.