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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 30, 2018
EEOC SUES MPW
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
FOR RACE DISCRIMINATION
Two Employees Racially Harassed at Work, Federal Agency
Charges
LOUISVILLE,
Ky. -- MPW Industrial Services, Inc., a Hebron, Ohio industrial cleaning
company, violated federal law by subjecting two African-American employees to a
racially hostile work enviroment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed yesterday.
According
to the EEOC’s lawsuit, MPW made the two employees suffer racial harassment, including
hangman’s nooses, racial epithets, racist comments and jokes, and an alleged
KKK meeting at the worksite.
Such
alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC
filed suit (Case No. 1:18-cv-00063) in U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of Ohio, Cincinnati Division, after first attempting to reach a
pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The agency is
seeking compensatory and punitive damages against MPW for the two employees as
well as other relief, including a permanent injunction to prevent the company
from engaging in future race discrimination.
“Federal
law clearly prohibits discriminating against an employee because of race,” said
Kenneth Bird, regional attorney for EEOC’s Indianapolis District. “Displaying a hangman’s noose is particularly
vicious, and doesn’t belong in this country – or any other. The EEOC is absolutely commited to the
elimination of race discrimination in the workplace.”
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace
by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by
subscribing to our email updates.
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