Delivery Company Pays $8.7M to Settle Race Discrimination Lawsuit Filed by EEOC

The delivery company, DHL, has agreed to pay $8.7 million to a class of Black employees who accused the company of racial discrimination. This case is interesting insofar as it did not involve issues related to firing, promotion, or a hostile work environment. However, the EEOC accused the company of unlawfully segregating Black employees and giving them different (often more difficult) work assignments. This amounts to unfair discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The settlement will be paid to a class of 83 Black employees who were allegedly subjected to discrimination based on their race. The company will also be subjected to mandatory oversight by former EEOC Commissioner Leslie Silverman to monitor compliance with the settlement decree.

The EEOC alleged that the company segregated Black employees and gave them unequal work assignments based on their race. They weren’t paid less than their white counterparts, nor were they passed up for promotion or denied jobs. However, according to a recent Supreme Court decision, Muldrow v. the City of St. Louis, an employee doesn’t need to establish that they suffered a “materially significant disadvantage” as a result of the discrimination. They only need to establish that they suffered some form of disadvantage as a result of discrimination.

In the case against the delivery company, the Black employees were paid at the same rate as the other employees. However, they were subject to more difficult work regimens and segregated from white coworkers. This is enough to establish a disadvantage even though the Black employees weren’t paid less than their white counterparts.

Talk to a Tampa, FL Race Discrimination Lawyer Today 

Florin Gray Bouzas Owens, LLC represents the interests of employees who have suffered some form of discrimination in the workplace. This includes discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race, creed, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, nation of origin, family status, or disability. If you have suffered discrimination based on a protected characteristic, call our Tampa employment lawyers today to schedule an appointment, and learn more about how we can help.

Source:

freightwaves.com/news/dhl-to-pay-8-7m-to-settle-eeoc-race-discrimination-lawsuit