FRESNO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced Feb. 14 that United Staffing Associates LLC, a staffing agency in Visalia, Calif., will pay $24,500 after allegations of retaliatory discrimination.
According to EEOC allegations, an employee had been placed by the company at the same seasonal work location since 2006. She purportedly filed a discrimination charge with EEOC in 2014. The following season, the company did not staff her at that location or any other one.
"When a company retaliates against an individual for reporting discrimination, they are chilling other employees from reporting such workplace abuses," said Melissa Barrios, director of the EEOC's Fresno office. "We commend United Staffing Associates for working with the EEOC to resolve this complaint and to ensure that employees are protected from retaliation there in the future."
The company did not admit liability but agreed to a two-year consent agreement. As per the agreement, United Staffing will reinstate the employee and place her on an active assignment list. The company also will appoint an equal employment opportunity consultant that will ensure revision of the company's policies to better align with equal employment laws.