KNOXVILLE — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has settled its retaliation charge against Southeast Food Services, a franchisee formerly operating more than 30 Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburger restaurants.
According to the EEOC, Southeast Food Services required employees to sign a general release in order to receive a promotion that included prohibiting employees from filing discrimination complaints against the company. The EEOC says one former employee had a promotion rescinded after refusing to sign the general release.
"Southeast Food Services has been cooperative in working with the EEOC to resolve this charge without having to resort to litigation," EEOC Memphis District director Delner Franklin-Thomas said in a statement. "We commend Southeast Food Services' willingness to reassess and change its promotion process so that employees no longer have to forfeit their civil rights to receive a promotion."
Southeast Food Services has agreed to a one-year conciliation agreement and has ceased use of its general release as a condition for promotion, the EEOC said.