How to Submit an Employment Discrimination Complaint

Overview

If you believe you may have been discriminated against in employment and meet the complaint requirements listed on this page, you may submit a discrimination complaint through the TWC Civil Rights Division.

The Civil Rights Division conducts neutral investigations and gathers information to determine if discrimination has occurred under the Texas Labor Code. We work in cooperation with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to resolve employment discrimination allegations.

When you submit an employment discrimination complaint with the Civil Rights Division, it is automatically submitted with EEOC through our Worksharing Agreement. You cannot submit with both the Civil Rights Division and the EEOC.

These are a few of the most common employment discrimination allegations:

• I was not hired because of my disability.
• I was demoted because of my national origin.
• I was terminated because of my race.
• I was harassed by co-workers because of my age.
• I was denied benefits because of my pregnancy.

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Complaint Requirements

To submit an employment discrimination complaint to us, all of these requirements must be met:

• The physical address you worked at must be within the state of Texas.
• The company must have 15 or more employees.
• The date of discrimination must have occurred within the last 180 days from the date you are submitting the complaint.
• Your discrimination allegation must specify one or more of the following types: race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age or disability.
• Your complaint must identify employment harm such as demotion, denial of promotion or termination.

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How to Submit a Complaint

You can submit an employment discrimination complaint to us by e-mail, by postal mail or in person (not by phone). You must submit your complaint within 180 days from the date of the discrimination.

When you submit a complaint, you will be required to sign a Confidentiality Statement agreeing that all documentation of the investigation will not be shared with anyone except your attorney.

We will send you an invitation to mediation or alternative dispute resolution in an effort to resolve your complaint.  If you choose mediation (also known as alternative dispute resolution), you and the company representative will meet with a mediator.  If your complaint is settled through mediation, it will be closed and our process concluded.  If you decline mediation or the mediation fails, then your complaint will be assigned to an investigator.

Submit Complaint in Writing:

Download and print the Employment Discrimination Complaint form or.

If you will be using assistance in communication (for example, use of assistive technology or an interpreter), please include on your complaint form the name and contact information of the person who will be serving as your representative. We will contact you through this person.

Mail the completed form to:

Texas Workforce Commission
Civil Rights Division
101 E 15th St, Rm 144-T
Austin, TX 78778-0001

If you are sending supporting documents, be sure to send copies and keep your originals.  We cannot return documents to you.

Submit Complaint in Person

You may submit a complaint in person at our office during business hours.

Texas Workforce Commission
Civil Rights Division
1117 Trinity St, Rm 144-T
Austin, TX 78701

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Required Information

As the party making the complaint, you are required to actively participate in the complaint process.  You must include each of the following:

• Your full name, home address and home telephone number
• The official company name, physical address where you worked for the employer and office telephone number
• The Human Resources Supervisor/Director’s full name, address and telephone number
• Whether the company has 15 or more employees (this can include other worksites besides the one where you worked)
• Whether your treatment was because of your race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age or disability
• A description of the employment harm such as demotion, denied hire, termination, denied benefits, etc.

If your address or phone number change during an investigation, you must notify your investigator immediately.

Your full cooperation is very important during the processing of your complaint, and failure to cooperate may result in a dismissal of your complaint.

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See Also

• Age Discrimination
• Disabilities Discrimination
• Emergency Evacuation Discrimination
• National Origin Discrimination
• Racial Discrimination
• Color Discrimination
• Religious Discrimination
• Retaliation Discrimination
• Sex Discrimination

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