Area Temps, a Northeast Ohio temporary agency, agreed to
pay $650,000 to resolve a class discrimination lawsuit filed by the EEOC.
The EEOC charged in its lawsuit (1:07-cv-02964) that the temporary
agency violated federal law by considering and assigning (or declining)
job applicants by race, sex, Hispanic national origin, and age. The
EEOC also alleged Area Temps unlawfully complied with discriminatory
requests made by its clients based on race, sex, national origin and
age, and unlawfully fired two of its employees in retaliation for their
opposition to Area Temps’ discriminatory practices and for one
employee’s participation in the EEOC’s investigation.
Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of
1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color,
religion, sex or national origin both by employers and placement
agencies, and protects employees who complain about or oppose such
discrimination from retaliation. It also violates the Age
Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which prohibits discrimination
based on age against people 40 years of age or older.
The three-year consent decree settling the suit, in addition to
monetary relief, requires the company to post a notice of resolution
regarding this lawsuit, visible to employees. The company must also
provide a notice-of-resolution letter to all applicants, management and
selecting officials and to outside clients on the obligations of the
company under federal anti-discrimination laws, as well as Area Temps’
commitment to abide by such laws.