Wisconsin Plastics, Inc. of Green Bay, Wis., a metal and plastic products manufacturer, will pay $475,000 and provide other relief to settle a national origin discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

According to the EEOC's suit, Wisconsin Plastics discriminated against a group of Hmong (an ethnic group of people who live in China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand) and Hispanic employees by firing them because of their national origin.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects employees from discrimination based on national origin, including discrimination based on the linguistic characteristics of a national origin group. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC, et al. v. Wisconsin Plastics, Inc., No. 1:14-cv-663) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin in Green Bay in June 2014 after first trying to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

The consent decree settling the suit prohibits any future discrimination or retaliation and provides that Wisconsin Plastics will pay $475,000 to 17 Hmong employees and two Hispanic employees; post notices of the settlement; report its hires, terminations, and national origin discrimination complaints periodically to the EEOC; and train its managers and employees regarding employer obligations and the rights of employees under Title VII.