Administaff, Inc., a nationwide company which provides
full-service human resources to small and medium-size businesses will
pay $115,000 and furnish substantial remedial relief to settle a
harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
According to EEOC’s suit (Case No. 1:09-cv-02881-BEL) filed in the
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Northern Division,
Kingwood, Texas-based Administaff and Conn-X, LLC, a Florida-based
cable service provider, violated federal law by engaging in religious
discrimination against employees at Conn-X’s Edgewood, Md., office.
The EEOC said that Scott Jacobson and Joey Jacobson, who are
brothers, were called “dirty Jew,” “dumb Jew,” and other anti-Semitic
slurs by managers and coworkers because of their religion, Judaism. The
harassment began in September 2005 and continued for a couple of years
and included the defacing of Scott Jacobson’s work vehicle with a
swastika symbol, the EEOC said. He was also physically harassed when he
was forced into a trash bin for the amusement of managers who observed
them on a work surveillance camera and called it “throw the Jew in the
dumpster.” The EEOC’s lawsuit against Conn-X, LLC remains unresolved.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits religious
harassment. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a
voluntary settlement.
“What happened to these workers was cruel and callous, involving
physical mistreatment, as well as hateful religious slurs and
anti-Semitic symbols” said EEOC Acting Chairman Stuart J. Ishimaru.
“Title VII of the Civil Rights Act embodies the promise that no one
should have to endure this kind of abuse in the workplace. We are
gratified we fought and brought an end to the religious discrimination
that was happening here, and that we could secure a measure of justice
for these victims.”
In addition to the monetary relief to the Jacobsons, the consent
decree settling the suit enjoins Administaff, Inc. from engaging in
harassment on the basis of religion and from retaliating against
employees who complain about it. The employer agreed to revise its
policy against harassment and retaliation, provide training to its
managers on anti-discrimination laws, and to post notices stating its
commitment to maintaining an environment free of religious harassment
and retaliation.
“Employers play a critical role in creating a work environment
respectful of employee’s religious beliefs,” said EEOC Acting Regional
Attorney Debra Lawrence of the EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office,
which oversees Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Maryland and
parts of New Jersey and Ohio. “It is never acceptable to come to work
and have your religion and heritage made the subject of such callous
and impermissible treatment.”
Religious discrimination charge filings nationwide with the EEOC
have increased substantially over the years. In Fiscal Year 2009, the
EEOC received a record high level of 3,386 religious discrimination
charges – nearly double the number of religious discrimination charges
since FY 1992.