MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has settled a lawsuit against a local distribution center and a staffing agency, which the agency accused of discriminating against workers due to their national origin.
The EEOC lawsuit accused Barrett Distribution Center and Supreme Staffing LLC, of violating federal civil rights law. The agency claimed the companies retaliated against an employee who complained that Barrett discriminated against applicants and workers due to their national origin.
Under the settlement and a three-year consent decree, Barrett Distribution will pay $60,000 and must create an anti-retaliation policy which it must distribute to all staffing agencies it uses for temporary workers. The company must also conduct annual training and provide semi-annual records to the EEOC on any discrimination complaints.
“As retaliation claims continue to rise, we applaud those are who are willing to bravely step up and report discriminatory treatment,” said Faye Williams, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Memphis District Office. “We also commend Barrett for its commitment to reaching an early resolution that will compensate the affected former employee as well as ensuring that all staffing agencies Barrett works with are aware of Barrett’s pledge to combat unlawful discrimination and retaliation in its workspace.”
The lawsuit’s claims
The suit claimed Supreme and Barrett removed a former account supervisor from Barrett’s worksite when he complained about the treatment of some workers at the Barrett site due to their national origin. The EEOC suit claimed the companies fired the worker less than two months later.
The lawsuit asked for back pay and compensatory and punitive damages for the employee as well as an injunction against future discrimination.
“Employees must have the freedom to report unlawful behavior without fear of repercussion,” said Edmond Sims, acting district director of the EEOC’s Memphis District Office, in a news release at the time of the lawsuit. “This is particularly important in Memphis, where staffing agencies and their client companies comprise a significant portion of the workforce. We hope that this litigation places employers on notice that retaliation against employees will not be tolerated.”
Barrett is a warehousing, distribution and transportation company that operates more than two dozen facilities across North America.
Supreme is headquartered in Memphis and operates in several states in the U.S.
For more information on national origin discrimination, go to https://www.eeoc.gov/national-origin-discrimination. For more information on retaliation, go to https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation.
Learn how to file a charge of employment discrimination at https://www.eeoc.gov/how-file-charge-employment-discrimination.
