The EEOC has been working late – it has filed numerous new law suits this week, many of which are class actions.   

The EEOC’s week looked a little like this:

Monday, September 26, 2011

On behalf of black applicants who sought to become coal miners in Kentucky, the EEOC filed a class action case of racial discrimination.  

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

In a case alleging gender discrimination, the EEOC sued another coal mine owner in Illinois on behalf of female applicants.  

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The EEOC filed a class action in Tennessee against U-Haul based upon racial discrimination. 

In another action that is more interesting, a complaint filed in Texas entitled EEOC v. Vitol, 4:11 cv 03506 (S.D. Texas), the EEOC claimed that a woman was fired subsequent to filing a claim of sexual harassment against her employer, although the EEOC dismissed the charge. However, her presumably spiteful first employer sent a copy of her previous charge to her new employer, and she was fired the same day. 

The EEOC sued both employers for retaliation, alleging that the employee’s right to engage in activity protected by Title VII, i.e., to file a charge of discrimination against employer one, was violated when she was fired by employer two.         

Finally,the EEOC filed a national origin discrimination lawsuit in Arizona against AN Luxury Imports of Tucson, Inc. and Autonation USA Corp. based upon the alleged harassment of both a German and Polish employee. The German employee was referred to as a “Nazi” and a “German spy,” given a Nazi salute, and had pictures of Hitler put on his equipment. The Polish employee was repeatedly called a “f—ing Polack” and “dumb Polack.”   It is alleged that although supervisors knew of this harassment, they did nothing to remedy the situation but instead retaliated against the employees by disciplining and then firing them.