MINNEAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that American Casing & Equipment Inc. will pay $250,000 after allegations it committed race and national origin discrimination and retaliation.
American Casing & Equipment is an oilfield service company based in North Dakota. According to EEOC, Matthew Clark, a Filipino-American, worked for the company from November 2012 to January 2014. A white manager allegedly harassed Clark due to his race and national origin. The harassment was witnessed by a supervisor but no corrective action was taken, the EEOC charged.
"This settlement sends a strong message to employers that race and national origin harassment and retaliation will not be tolerated in the workplace," John Hendrickson, regional attorney for EEOC's Chicago District. "EEOC hopes that the changes implemented under the consent decree will serve as a model for creating a workplace free of discrimination in the oilfield service industry."
In addition to monetary relief, the company must also develop and implement new policies to train its employees and managers on discrimination laws.
"The consent decree provides important training to managers and supervisors on their responsibilities to report and take appropriate action when they witness or receive discrimination complaints,” Tina Burnside, the trial attorney for EEOC’s Minneapolis Area Office, said. “They cannot simply ignore harassment and fire employees who complain about being abused rather than doing something about it."