DETROIT (Legal Newsline) — New Image Building Services Inc., a Michigan company that provides cleaning services for corporate clients in commercial buildings, agreed to pay $16,000 over allegations of disability discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said.
The EEOC contended that the company terminated Gregory Brown’s employment because of his disability, scoliosis. Brown first began work at the company in September 2013, when he was assigned to trash maintenance at a client location in Dearborn, Mich. On July 23, 2014, Brown’s supervisor planned to move him to a new position, one that would require the use of a vacuum pack on his back. Brown allegedly told the supervisor that he could not perform the duty because of his scoliosis. The EEOC claims that, rather than allow Brown to get a doctor’s note, the supervisor wrote him up for disciplinary action. Brown was allegedly removed from the work site, was not allow to return and was never reassigned to another location.
Alleged conduct of this nature violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which bans employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of disability, the EEOC said in a March 10 news release.