|
Phone (800) 669-4000 - TTY (800) 669-6820
FAX (303) 866-1085
newsroom@eeoc.gov
Contact:
Amy Burkholder,
Enforcement Manager, (303) 866-1334, amy.burkholder@eeoc.gov
Patricia
McMahon, Public Affairs, (303) 866-1344, patricia.mcmahon@eeoc.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EEOC AND COCA-COLA REFRESHMENTS USA, INC.
ENTER INTO AGREEMENT TO IMPROVE
DISABILITY LEAVE PRACTICES
Agency Commends Employer for Collaborative Efforts to Improve Policies and Practices for Accommodations of Employees with Disabilities
DENVER – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC)
and
Coca-Cola Refreshments
USA, Inc., have entered into
a settlement agreement
to strengthen and
improve the company’s policies
and practices for accommodation of employees
with disabilities,
the federal agency announced today. The settlement resolves nine charges of discrimination alleging that the company failed
to properly accommodate employees with
disabilities.
As part of the agreement, Coca-Cola
Refreshments
USA, Inc. will update its policies and
procedures to improve accommodations provided to
employees returning to
work after disability-related absences.
The company will also establish a dedicated
accommodation and leave management team to provide assistance to its employees.
The agreement also provides
monetary payments totaling $2.25 million to those
individuals who
filed charges of discrimination, and annual financial
support
to selected “non-profit entities dedicated to helping individuals
with disabilities find and keep employment.” The agreement
was reached as part of
the informal conciliation process which is required under
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to foster early resolution of alleged violations without
resorting to litigation.
“This is a strong agreement that will
improve policies and practices for individuals with disabilities and sets an
example for many employers to follow,” said Victoria A. Lipnic, Acting Chair of
the EEOC. “I commend Coca-Cola Refreshments USA and the EEOC staff in our
Denver and Phoenix offices for bringing this matter to a successful resolution.
I especially commend Coca-Cola Refreshments for agreeing to make the terms of
this agreement public.”
Phoenix District Director Elizabeth Cadle
said, “The EEOC is committed to
ensuring that people receive the full protections of
the ADA and other civil rights
laws, and we are
pleased that Coca-Cola Refreshments
USA, Inc. was willing to work with us to improve
its ADA compliance practices. In doing so, we are
confident that the company will
be rewarded with retaining a dedicated and
effective workforce.”
Brian
Sasadu, Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Coca-Cola Refreshments USA,
Inc., added, “One of our
guiding principles as
an organization
is to treat everyone with
respect and fairness and
create an inclusive work
environment that
values the contributions of everyone. We are pleased that we
have been able to work collaboratively with the
EEOC to strengthen our disability leave policies to
reflect best practices from inside
and outside our business
system.”
The
EEOC’s Denver
Office
is part of the agency’s Phoenix District, which has jurisdiction
over Arizona,
Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
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.
# # #
Connect with Denver Field Office Twitter @EEOC_Denver
|
