But the agency may be growing so fast that it cannot deal with cases effectively. Several years ago, the average case took 400 days, and MCAD changed its procedures to bring the waiting period down to 244 days. However, in fiscal year 1988, the average case duration--from filing to completion--had climbed back up to 288 days.
Massachusetts pays only 53 full-time MCAD employees spread out in four offices across the state. And federal and private sources fund less than a dozen more.
Budget cuts of more than $300,000 made this year will only exacerbate the manpower shortage. The commission receives the majority of its money from the state, although the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) also contribute to the budget.
Even though Morris says he expects federal funds to increase slightly this year because of an increased caseload, it still will not compensate for the fact that last year's $1,940,000 budget had been reduced to $1,578,00.
According to Morris, staff members will not be laid off as a result of the cut, but, with less money around, the commission may be less able to push cases to a timely end.
Last year the commission received $252,000 dollars from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and another $100,000 from other sources.
In addition, the EEOC pays $400 per employment complaint that it receives and automatically passes along to MCAD for processing. EEOC's annual contribution is based on the previous year's caseload, and the federal agency conducts reviews during the year to see if the funds are adequate, says Renee Devine, communications director for EEOC in Washington.
However, those funds might run short. Devine says Congress has "earmarked" $20 million for the EEOC to distribute to state and local agencies, a cap which the agency may exceed.
Such a shortfall could mean that MCAD would get less money to deal with more cases, in which case, Devine says, the federal body might take over some case processing.
Although the budget cuts and increasing caseload have placed additional burdens on MCAD, the agency has improved in some areas. Al Owens, director of the Boston branch of the NAACP says that since 1986, the commission has dealt with complaints more thoroughly. MCAD officials themselves say that the agency has grown more aggressive under Gov. Michael S. Dukakis' administration.
"The past two [NAACP] presidents cited [MCAD's] process as being not too careful or too slow," says Owens, but he adds that lately there have been few problems. He says the two groups now have "a good working relationship," adding that NAACP refers nearly 100 cases to the agency each year. He says he believes hearings are now held more often than in the past, and settlements are more frequent.
"That means someone is looking [out] more on behalf of the people being discriminated against," Owens says. And he adds he is pleased that MCAD hired two people who were referred to the commission by the NAACP's job placement program.
And last month, another change took place that may speed up MCAD's processes--the agency automated the filing of complaints. MCAD staff members now feed a complaint directly into computers in the intake room, instead of typing up forms. The new system cuts down on processing time, making it easier for an investigator to check the status of a case or keep track of new information. "It could save up to three weeks in clearing cases out of here," Morris says.
"We're trying to scratch our way into the 20th century," Allen says, adding that the computer allows cases to be simultaneously filed with the state and federal government, if they share jurisdiction.
And if the increasingly conservative U.S. Supreme Court restricts civil rights law as some liberals fear, that might also alter MCAD's caseload. If federal laws are struck down, it is possible that more state residents would turn to MCAD for protection under Massachusetts laws.