Valley Tool to Pay $32,500 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination and Retaliation Lawsuit
Valley Tool, Inc., a precision machine shop facility located in Water Valley, Miss., has agreed to pay $32,500 to resolve a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
The EEOC’s lawsuit charged a sorter with sickle cell disease requested that Valley Tool allow her to take leave on the occasional days her blood disorder made her too ill to work. Instead, the suit alleged, Valley Tool removed the sorter from the work schedule, placed her on involuntary leave of absence, and then fired her because of her disability and in retaliation for her complaint about her supervisor’s comments about her disability. The lawsuit also charged that Valley Tool failed to maintain medical records separate from employee personnel files.
Carefree of Colorado to Pay $100,000 to Settle EEOC Disability and Retaliation Suit
Carefree/Scott Fetzer Company, doing business as Carefree of Colorado, will pay $100,000 and furnish other relief to settle a disability discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today. Carefree, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., manufactures RV awnings at a facility in Broomfield, Colo.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Carefree would not hire Anna Biryukova as an assembler or packer because she is deaf. The lawsuit also charged that Carefree retaliated against Biryukova by refusing to consider her because she and a job placement advocate acting on her behalf complained about discrimination and the need for disability accommodation.
Coronavirus Update for March 12, 2021
With nearly 34 million people, or more than one in 10 Americans, fully vaccinated against COVID-19, most employers can expect vaccination to soon become available to their general workforce. Besides being eager to return to some semblance of “business as usual,” employers may want employees to get COVID-19 vaccinations for workplace morale and safety reasons. It is important for employers to start considering what their vaccination policies will be and how to implement them not only to suit their business needs but also to be legally compliant. In so doing, employers need to take into consideration the rights, responsibilities, and risks associated with employee vaccinations.