News (Noticias) Tagged ‘EEOC’

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced the formation of a partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to launch a Hispanic Work Group examining the community’s concerns about federal sector employment, including leadership development, hiring, and retention.

“The federal government must tap into the valuable resources provided by the Hispanic community, the most rapidly expanding population in America,” said EEOC Chair Naomi C. Earp. “The work group will examine innovative ways to tackle the issues and obstacles confronted by this diverse community. We are proud to partner in this endeavor with SSA, one of the federal leaders in the employment of Hispanic individuals.”"*

A jury verdict in favor of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and farm worker Olivia Tamayo has been affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in a sexual harassment and reprisal lawsuit against Coalinga, California-based Harris Farms, the EEOC announced April 25, 2008. Harris Farms is one of the largest integrated farming operations in the Central San Joaquin Valley.

At trial, a jury found Harris Farms liable for sexual harassment, retaliation and constructive discharge. Tamayo was awarded over $1,000,000, including attorney’s fees for her private lawyer, on her federal and state law discrimination claims.”*

What makes a Latino join a particular company–and stay there and flourish? Find out how these companies create a culture of inclusion for ALL of their employees, which puts them on this specialty list.

Consider these points of comparison:

* Eighteen percent of their new hires were Latinos, compared with a Top 50 average of 12 percent. The U.S. Latino work-force participation rate is 12 percent, according to the EEOC”*

Steve Kardell, Dallas Texas employment lawyer, recently filed a Charge of Discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) on behalf of local reporter, Rebecca Aguilar. Ms. Aguilar had worked for a local Fox station, KDFW-TV, for fourteen years when KDFW management suspended her over an alleged controversial interview, just two weeks after Ms. Aguilar was awarded Broadcast Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. KDFW later terminated Ms. Aguilar’s employment, purportedly because of the controversial interview, however, Mr. Kardell’s investigation has revealed that news management, in fact, retaliated against Ms. Aguilar for advocating change inside the newsroom.

Ms. Aguilar has a documented history of complaining about her employer’s treatment of minority members. “I’m confident the EEOC will uncover what our investigation has unveiled. Fox 4 wanted my client to advocate change in the community through her reports, but to keep silent in improving working conditions in the newsroom,” says Mr. Kardell.

Ms. Aguilar contacted employment lawyers at Clouse Dunn Khoshbin LLP for help in resolving the dispute with her former employer. To discuss this matter, please contact Steve Kardell at 214.220.3888 or steve@cdklawyers.com.

About Steve Kardell

Mr. Kardell specializes in litigating complex employment issues, board of directors liability for employment practices, executive malfeasance and corporate ethics terminations, and has been quoted on executive termination cases in Forbes, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times and other national publications.”*

It’s official: Fired Fox-4 reporter Rebecca Aguilar has gone to war with her former station.

Her lawyer issued a press release this afternoon saying Ms. Aguilar wasn’t fired for an overly aggressive interview but rather for advocating for unspecified changes at the TV station. She filed a grievance with the EEOC today.”*

Should the Salvation Army be able to require its employees to speak English? You wouldn’t think that’s controversial. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is holding up a $53 billion appropriations bill funding the FBI, NASA and Justice Department solely to block an attached amendment, passed by both the Senate and House, that protects the charity and other employers from federal lawsuits over their English-only policies.

The U.S. used to welcome immigrants while at the same time encouraging assimilation. Since 1906, for example, new citizens have had to show “the ability to read, write and speak ordinary English.” A century later, this preference for assimilation is still overwhelmingly popular. A new Rasmussen poll finds that 87% of voters think it “very important” that people speak English in the U.S., with four out of five Hispanics agreeing. And 77% support the right of employers to have English-only policies, while only 14% are opposed.”*

“B&H Foto and Electronics Corp. has agreed to pay $4.3 million to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint alleging the company violated federal law by discriminating against Hispanic workers.

The EEOC’s lawsuit, filed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, alleged that B&H paid Hispanic workers in its warehouses less than non-Hispanic workers and failed to promote them or provide them health benefits based on their national origin.”*

“The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has been sending out a little extra work to millions of Americans this month… The EEOC is the government agency that investigates claims of workplace discrimination — to help do that, every year the EEOC sends out surveys on race and ethnicity.

And this time around, there’s something new: After 40 years, the box that used to say simply “Hispanic” has been changed to “Hispanic or Latino.”

We sent Marketplace’s Dan Grech out from behind the America’s Desk at WLRN to find out what’s in a name.”

“Las Vegas’ iconic Caesars Palace resort casino will pay US$850,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission EEOC, the agency said Monday.

The EEOC alleged in a suit filed in April 2005 that several mainly Hispanic women working in the resorts kitchen were the victims of “repeated and sometimes severe” sexual harassment, a statement said.”

“A Hispanic employee at the Toys R Us store in Puyallup was subject to harassment and discrimination before he was fired, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The Hispanic sales associate, Gregorio Martinez, was the target of racist remarks and discrimination, according to the EEOC lawsuit filed in the Federal District Court of the Western District of Washington in Seattle.”

“Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) today announced the appointment of Cari M. Dominguez, age 58, Former Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), to its board of directors, effective today.

“Cari’s experience in both business and government environments, shaping and implementing employment policies and programs, will be a tremendous asset to Manpower as the world labor markets continue to evolve, requiring ever-more sophisticated employment services for our clients worldwide,” said Jeffrey A. Joerres, chairman and CEO of Manpower Inc.

Dominguez was the United States’ 12th Chair of the EEOC from 2001 to 2006, and the first to have a workforce management background. From 1993-2000, Dominguez held senior positions at two international executive search firms. From 1989-1993 she served in the U.S. Department of Labor in roles including, Assistant Secretary for Employment Standards, Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, and Architect of the Labor Department’s Glass Ceiling Initiative. Her corporate experience includes various human resource positions with Bank America Corporation, including Director of Executive Programs, and she also owned a management consulting firm for several years.

Dominguez holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the School of International Service at American University in Washington, D.C. In 2003, Loma Linda University conferred upon her the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanitarian Service. She is a fellow of the Advanced Study Program in Public Management of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and has served on the boards of the Leadership Foundation of the International Women’s Forum and the Human Resources Planning Society. In addition, she has been recognized as one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics in the Country” by Hispanic Business magazine.”

I posted a press release about this on Monday the 2nd yet this is the first story I have found in the mainstream English media about it.

“Federal officials have sued the Salvation Army, saying the agency discriminated against two Hispanic employees when it fired them for not learning English.

The Boston office of the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission sued the Salvation Army in U.S. District Court in Boston.”

Suit Says Organization’s English-Only Rule and English Fluency Requirement Discriminated Against Hispanics

BOSTON- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that it had sued The Salvation Army for discriminating against two Hispanic employees by requiring them to comply with an English-only policy and imposing an English fluency requirement, even though the employees successfully performed their job duties for at least five years prior to their termination.

The EEOC’s lawsuit, Civil Action No. 07-CV-10620, was filed in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts.

1“Under EEOC’s guidelines, an English-only rule violates the law unless the employer can provide a legitimate business justification for forcing employees to stop speaking their native language,” said Estela Díz, trial attorney for the EEOC’s New York District Office. “The Salvation Army presented no such justification.”

Requiring employees to speak English where no business necessity exists constitutes national origin discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement. The suit seeks monetary relief, an order requiring the company to implement new policies and practices eradicating past discrimination, and a permanent injunction against such offenses in the future.

Spencer H. Lewis, Jr., the EEOC’s New York District Director, added, “Employers should carefully scrutinize their English-only policies and English fluency requirements to ensure they are not discriminating against employees on the basis of national origin.”

The EEOC is responsible for enforcing the nation’s laws prohibiting employment dis­crim­ination based on race, color, gender (including sexual harassment and pregnancy), religion, national origin, age, disability and retaliation. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

“Judge Lee Rosenthal, sitting in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas, granted final approval on January 23, 2006, to the settlement of discrimination claims against Quietflex Manufacturing Company, LP, according to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission EEOC. Under the terms of the settlement, Quietflexs insurer will pay $2.8 million to 78 current and former Latino employees. In addition, the company has agreed to implement policies and practices to advance equal employment opportunity.”

“The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a class-action lawsuit against U-Haul, charging the moving and storage company of discriminating and harassing Hispanic and Filipino workers at a Las Vegas facility.

The suit, filed in U-S District Court, alleges that Hispanic mechanics were subjected to a hostile work environment by being subjected to repeated racial epithets and told to “go back to Mexico.”"

“The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a federal discrimination complaint against a Charlotte supermarket on Thursday, accusing the store of firing workers because they were not Hispanic.

In its complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, the EEOC claims that in 2004, Compare Foods fired three longtime employees — two of whom are black and one white — from its North Tryon Street store and replaced them with Hispanic workers.”

“Grocery chain Albertsons Incorporated is being accused of ignoring a decade-long pattern of harassment at an Aurora distribution center.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleges the harassment ranged from racist graffiti to threats of violence against Hispanic and black employees. The allegations are detailed in a lawsuit filed Friday in U-S District Court in Denver. “

“U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has settled its national origin discrimination lawsuit against the successor of U S WEST Communications, Qwest Communications International Inc., for $400,000. The EEOC achieved the settlement on behalf of a group of Hispanic employees who the EEOC alleged were denied promotions to management jobs at company’s Portland, Oregon, facilities from 1998 through 2001. The company has denied these allegations.

The company agreed to a two-year consent decree in which it agreed to pay the group $400,000. Qwest will maintain its annual employment discrimination training and continue to provide training to hiring managers in Portland, Oregon. It will provide annual reports to the EEOC for the duration of the decree.”

“Officials say the number of South Carolina Hispanics who filed discrimination charges through the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has more than doubled since 2001.

That’s when the agency first hired bilingual staff to better communicate with that population.

Forty-five people in South Carolina filed charges with the EEOC in 2005, up from 20 in 2001.”

“Donnie Gaut, an African American with 12 years of warehouse experience, applied for a job in 2002 at Farmer John Meats, a large Los Angeles pork processor. When he was turned down for the position, a job stocking goods that paid $7 an hour, Gaut decided the problem wasn’t his résumé — it was his race. He filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency that enforces anti-discrimination laws in the workplace.

In October, the EEOC secured a $110,000 settlement from the company to be shared by Gaut and six other black applicants who were rejected for production jobs at Farmer John based on their race, according to the agency….”

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“Donnie Gaut, an African-American with 12 years of warehouse experience, applied for a job in 2002 at Farmer John Meats, a large Los Angeles pork processor. When he was turned down for the position, a job stocking goods that paid $7 an hour, Mr. Gaut decided the problem wasn’t his résumé — it was his race. He filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency that enforces antidiscrimination laws in the workplace.

Last October, the EEOC secured a $110,000 settlement from the company to be shared by Mr. Gaut and six other black applicants who were rejected for production jobs at Farmer John based on their race, according to the agency….”

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“Some of HPD’s most veteran officers are filing a federal discrimination complaint against the department.

The Houston Police Organization of Spanish Speaking Officers (OSSO) and the “Chicano Squad” held a news conference Thursday to talk about changes they want to see at HPD….”

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