AUSTIN, Texas (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced Austin’s FEC LLC and Austin Entertainment Center LP, doing business as Austin’s Park N Pizza in Pflugerfille, will pay $20,000 and improve workplace practices after allegations of disability discrimination.
EEOC alleges a 26-year-old former employee with a disability, caused by childhood brain injuries, worked part-time on weekends for four years at Austin’s Park N Pizza. He allegedly performed custodial work, cleared tables and assisted with miniature golf successfully, but was fired after new management came in, EEOC charged. The new management installed an electronic system for clocking in and out, and the employee could not handle it. Instead of finding a reasonable accommodation, the company purportedly fired him. Alleged conduct of this nature violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
"People with intellectual disabilities can be very productive employees with minimal assistance or direction,” said EEOC San Antonio Field Office senior trial attorney David Rivela. "Employers can benefit from such productivity by treating workers with disabilities fairly and decently, and ensuring that reasonable accommodation requests are properly addressed."