BALTIMORE (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced Randstad, US LP has agreed to pay $50,000 and furnish significant equitable relief to resolve allegations of disability discrimination.
The EEOC alleges April Cox applied to Randstad, a Baltimore-based temporary labor agency, for a production laborer position at a client. A Randstad site manager allegedly asked Cox for a urine sample for a pre-employment drug test. The claims say that Cox then announced that she as in a medically supervised methadone treatment program. The site manager allegedly replied, “I’m sure we don’t hire people on methadone but I will contact my supervisor.”
Complaints allege Cox repeatedly called back about the position, but Randstad would not hire her because she used methadone.
This type of alleged conduct is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits disability discrimination, the EEOC says.
"While employers may conduct pre-employment drug tests for illegal drug use, medically prescribed methadone is a well-known and effective treatment for individuals recovering from drug addiction," said EEOC Philadelphia District director Spencer H. Lewis Jr. "Thus, employers violate the ADA if they refuse to hire a qualified applicant based on fears or stereotypes about an applicant's disability or medically supervised drug rehabilitation."
An 18-month decree enjoins Randstad from violating the ADA in the future.