MENUMENU
  • FREE RESOURCES
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • HR DEEP DIVES
        • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for HR Professionals
          Employment Law
          Labor Law Posting Requirements: Everything You Need to Know
          Recruiting
          businesswoman selecting future employees on digital interfaces
          Recruiting Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
          Performance Management
          vector image of young female making star rating
          Performance Review Resources
          Employment Law
          Understanding Equal Employment Opportunity and the EEOC
          Recruiting
          Onboarding Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
  • CORONAVIRUS & HR

  • LOGIN
  • SIGN UP FREE

HR Morning

MENUMENU
  • FREE RESOURCES
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • HR DEEP DIVES
        • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for HR Professionals
          Employment Law
          Labor Law Posting Requirements: Everything You Need to Know
          Recruiting
          businesswoman selecting future employees on digital interfaces
          Recruiting Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
          Performance Management
          vector image of young female making star rating
          Performance Review Resources
          Employment Law
          Understanding Equal Employment Opportunity and the EEOC
          Recruiting
          Onboarding Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
  • CORONAVIRUS & HR
  • Employment Law
  • Benefits
  • Recruiting
  • Talent Management
  • Performance Management
  • HR Technology
  • More
    • Leadership & Strategy
    • Compensation
    • Staff Administration
    • Policy & Procedures
    • Wellness
    • Staff Departure
    • Employee Services
    • Work Location
    • HR Career & Self-Care
    • Health Care
    • Retirement Plans

Dumb manager decisions end up costing two firms big money for EEOC violations

Tim Gould
by Tim Gould
February 15, 2017
2 minute read
  • SHARE ON

Here’s two more chapters in the continuing saga of “How Bonehead Decisions by Middle Managers Can Put a Big Dent in Your Corporate Pocketbook”:

Case No. 1, or “Stick to that policy no matter how many other ways there are to handle the problem.”

The EEOC charged J.B. Hunt Transport Inc. of Lowell, AR, with discrimination for denying four Indian Sikh applicants religious accommodations in its drug testing policy.
One of the five articles of faith for Sikhs is maintaining uncut hair, and the applicants refused to submit a hair sample. Instead of approving the applicants’ request for an alternative test (urine, blood, etc.), the company simply denied them employment. The applicants filed charges with the EEOC, and the agency sued.
J.B. Hunt decided to settle the litigation by paying $260,000 in relief.
The company also agreed to enter into a two-year conciliation agreement with EEOC and the alleged victims, revise its written policies and procedures regarding discrimination and religious accommodations, and established an alternative to the drug testing by hair sample for those who need an accommodation. Plus, the the company will extend a conditional offer of employment to all complainants in this case.

Case No. 2, or “Of course you can make career decisions for pregnant women — the company knows best.”

RTG Furniture Corp., a Florida corporation that operates a chain of Rooms to Go furniture stores and distribution centers nationwide, agreed to pay $55,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit.
According to the EEOC’s complaint, the company hired Chantoni McBryde and assigned her to work as a shop apprentice at the company’s temporary training facility in Dunn, N.C. The job required the use of various chemicals to repair furniture. After a couple days on the job, McBryde informed the company’s shop trainer that she was pregnant.
Later that same day, the EEOC said, McBryde was called into a meeting with the company’s regional shop manager and others, and was asked to confirm that she was pregnant. The regional shop manager then showed McBryde a can of lacquer thinner that contained a warning that the contents could potentially pose a risk to a woman or her unborn child, and discussed the warning with McBryde.
McBryde was then told that because she was pregnant, she could no longer work at the facility. She subsequently complained to the EEOC.
EEOC claimed the firing violated the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Western Division after attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement with RTG.
Rooms To Go agreed to pay $55K to settle the suit. In a press release, an EEOC spokesperson said, “Pregnant women have the right to make their own decisions about working while pregnant, including the risks they are willing to assume.”

Get the latest from HRMorning in your inbox PLUS immediately access 10 FREE HR guides.

I WANT MY FREE GUIDES

Keep Up To Date with the Latest HR News

With HRMorning arriving in your inbox, you will never miss critical stories on labor laws, benefits, retention and onboarding strategies.

Sign up for a free HRMorning membership and get our newsletter!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
HR Morning Logo
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linked In
  • ABOUT HRMORNING
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • WRITE FOR US
  • CONTACT
  • Employment Law
  • Benefits
  • Recruiting
  • Talent Management
  • HR Technology
  • Performance Management
  • Leadership & Strategy
  • Compensation & Payroll
  • Policy & Culture
  • Staff Administration
  • Wellness & Safety
  • Staff Departure
  • Employee Services
  • Work Location
  • HR Career & Self-Care

HRMorning, part of the SuccessFuel Network, provides the latest HR and employment law news for HR professionals in the trenches of small-to-medium-sized businesses. Rather than simply regurgitating the day’s headlines, HRMorning delivers actionable insights, helping HR execs understand what HR trends mean to their business.

Privacy Policy Terms of Service
Copyright © 2021 SuccessFuel

WELCOME BACK!

Enter your username and password below to log in

Forget Your Username or Password?

Reset Password

Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

Log In

During your free trial, you can cancel at any time with a single click on your “Account” page.  It’s that easy.

Why do we need your credit card for a free trial?

We ask for your credit card to allow your subscription to continue should you decide to keep your membership beyond the free trial period.  This prevents any interruption of content access.

Your card will not be charged at any point during your 21 day free trial
and you may cancel at any time during your free trial.

preloader