National employment agency chain Preferred Labor agreed to pay $250,000 to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Thursday, July 9.
The company, which did business as Preferred People Staffing, agreed to the settlement after it sold its day labor business to another firm.
The North Carolina-based company restricted women to only certain work assignments and accepted discriminatory requests from customers to send only male workers at its location in Worcester Massachusetts, according to the EEOC.
The company also retaliated against one woman for complaining.
In addition, the ruling provides that if Preferred resumes conducting business as a temporary day labor agency, it will be enjoined from engaging in discrimination or retaliation and will implement policies and procedures prohibiting those practices. The company also will have to conduct anti-discrimination training for its employees and managers and take other steps designed to prevent discrimination and retaliation.
“We commend Preferred for working cooperatively with us to reach this agreement,” said EEOC New York District Director Spencer H. Lewis. “The resolution of this lawsuit represents substantial progress in the expansion of job opportunities for women in the temporary labor industry.”
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